Mayfield Aquatics + Community Center

Mayfield Heights, Ohio

The new Mayfield Heights Aquatics + Community Center is a multi-generational public amenity, providing modern day recreation in this diverse Cleveland suburb. Fully completed in spring of 2024, the facility serves all ages with amenities that are flexible and fun, meeting the needs of families, day camp kids, local seniors, and fitness enthusiasts alike. The aquatics park replaced the city’s decades-old community pool with a well-appointed multi-pool facility featuring zero-depth entry points, spray toys, a lap and diving pool, lazy river, and a 36-foot slide tower. Built to be reminiscent of the “giant slide” that is a fond part of Mayfield’s history, the slides had been the subject of much focus in soliciting feedback from the local community.

Residents adjacent to the project’s west property line vocalized concerns about views to the tower and the sounds from the pool itself. Boulevard Studios and the project team responded by hosting several meetings exclusive to these residents, inviting the community to sound off and articulate their needs as the project site was converted from grassy ballfields to a more active use. Mapping and 3D-visualization were useful tools in communicating with residents the finished look and ensuring that the project is buffered from their properties. Community input shaped the design of the project, from the colors of the slide tower—toned to match the gray/blue of a typical Ohio sky—to placement of existing donor pavers in a small “clock tower” plaza near the park’s entrance.