WCAC

 

The city council has approved $940,000 for the design of an indoor pool in the Howe Hall building on the former Fernald property. 

The Colonial Revival–style building has been heavily vandalized in recent years, so proposed restoration for a much-needed use is long overdue.

 

The pool project is the latest proposal to renovate a former Fernald building for more city recreation amenities on the sprawling 200 Trapelo property.

Community Pool

The city's recreation director offered some details during a city council committee meeting recently.

The plan calls for the design of a six-lane community pool for year-round use.

 

“Locker rooms and offices in the basement, the pool on the primary level and the top floor a catwalk for spectators,” Waltham Recreation Department Director Kim Hebert told the council’s long term debt committee on February 2.

It would be built in the former Howe Hall building, located next to the Administration Building.

 

More details on the pool’s operation plan are pending, but Hebert said care would be taken to fill Waltham pool needs not currently met by either the Waltham YMCA or Waltham Boys & Girls Club.

She mentioned potential uses for Waltham seniors and Waltham High School. 

School Pool

The Waltham High School swim program does not have its own pool.

 

“Currently, WHS swims at Brandeis, which has been a very accommodating partner for our high school swim program, which we are extremely grateful for,” said WPS Athletic Director Nicole Viele.  

She embraced the pool plan and Kim Hebert’s support for student athletes.

“Having a home base pool facility for our student athletes would be a welcome addition,” she added. 

The WHS swim program has proven it can excel without its own pool.

These 2022 photos show a state meet where some Waltham swimmers earned podium placements.

“This is the first time in many years Waltham has placed in the state tournament,” said WHS swim head coach Jason Ciccariello at the time.

 

Note that the pool designer has said it will design a pool whose depth is for swimming only, not diving.

New Use for Historic Building

The proposed pool is not the first at the former Fernald property.

 

A pool once existed in the former Greene residence [see above], but the city demolished the building after years of damage from vandals.

Built in 1933, Howe Hall served as an entertainment destination for Fernald residents, with a stage and screen for movies, plays and dances, according to the Fernald State School documentation project.

 

The large Colonial Revival–style building was also used for religious services before the chapel at Fernald was constructed.

Like all Fernald buildings, Howe has been badly damaged by vandals since the city acquired the property in 2014.

 

Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype, Inc. (BH+A), the architecture firm chosen by the city for the design work, has expertise in restoring historic structures while meeting modern needs.

During the hearing earlier this month, a number of city councilors requested that the needs of those with disabilities be incorporated into the pool design, given Fernald’s history as a school for those with special needs.

 

That was the case with the first phase of recreation amenities completed near Trapelo Road last spring and with the second phase of amenities being prepared for construction currently.

200 Trapelo Expanding

Waltham Recreation Department plans are gathering steam at 200 Trapelo.

Phase I, a mostly straightforward $9 million park project near Trapelo Road, was completed in spring 2025. The large playground and free mini golf have been popular with families.

 

Construction of Phase II, a more complicated $6 million project involving athletic amenities and an amphitheater in separate locations, is expected to start this year with a completion goal of summer 2027.

Phase II will address current parking shortages, but also ventures deeper into the neglected property and its now-decrepit buildings.

 

The Howe Hall pool project is part of this overall plan. 

 

In 2025, the city council voted to approve $6.4 million for exterior renovations to both Howe Hall and the Administration Building next door. The pool design will cost a little less than $1 million.

There’s no current completion date or estimate on the cost of the pool project, but preserving and restoring badly damaged historic buildings for re-use has proven costly so far.

File photos