When the City of Ponca City looked at the historic Lew Wentz Pool, they were looking at a piece of living history. Built in 1930 by legendary philanthropist Lew Wentz, the Olympic-sized municipal pool had served as a beloved community centerpiece for nearly a century. While the pool held decades of irreplaceable summer memories for local families, time had taken a severe toll on the aging infrastructure. Chronic, sub-surface water leaks had escalated to a point where daily operations were simply unsustainable.
The restoration of this nearly 100-year-old landmark was a massive, unique undertaking unlike almost any other project in the region, requiring a specialized approach executed in phases over 11 months. The goal was to execute a deep structural stabilization that would save the pool from demolition, upgrade its outdated mechanical systems, and preserve its historic character for generations of swimmers to come.
Extending the life of a historic municipal pool required a complex structural restoration far beyond a standard cosmetic update. The city chose a renovation stabilization plan designed to eliminate ongoing water loss and bring the facility up to modern accessibility standards.
Our team carefully sequenced these services into dedicated phases across a multi-month schedule to manage structural demands, equipment rentals, and crew travel over the course of nearly a year:
Together, these improvements completely modernized the facility’s performance while honoring the architectural footprint of the original 1930 pool.
Due to its historic design and unique location, the project threw two massive challenges at the crew that required creative, on-the-spot engineering.
The first challenge was pure physics. The pool was built directly into a steep hillside with absolutely no direct path for heavy machinery. To solve this, the team used a crane to physically hoist a skid steer over the hillside and lower it directly into the pool basin. Crew members used ring saws to cut the failing concrete pool floor into large, manageable blocks, lifted them with a “monkey paw” attachment into a custom skid pan, and used the crane to hoist the debris out into waste containers without damaging the historic surrounding structure.
The second surprise came once the floor was removed. Decades of undetected leaks had completely washed away the soil beneath the pool, leaving massive, hidden hollow voids up to 6 feet deep. To save the pool from collapsing inward, the team brought in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to map the subterranean network of cavities. They then adapted a plaster pump to inject a specialized concrete slurry through precise drill holes, completely packing the voids and rebuilding a rock-solid foundation.
The completion of the Lew Wentz Pool gave Ponca City far more than an updated facility. It rescued a prized municipal landmark from the brink of closure and guaranteed that the community centerpiece would remain open for future generations.
By combining heavy structural remediation, modern filtration technology, and specialized historic preservation techniques, the project demonstrates how a historic, 100-year-old public asset can be completely modernized to meet strict modern standards while preserving the rich heritage of the original build.
“This was the first project on which we used the paint-removal blades, and it worked well… The city loved it, and I was super happy with the outcome.”
Like what you see? Contact us for your upcoming project!
