Built in 1915, Butler Hall was the home of the campus swimming pool until it closed in 2016.

Five years later, there are no plans to renovate or build another pool, according to Lindenwood University.

“There are no plans at this time to renovate and reopen the pool,” Senior Vice President Diane Moore said. “Butler Hall will likely have to be torn down in the future due to interior structural concerns.”

At first, Lindenwood built the pool for students to enjoy some time with friends or take a short break from school. That was until the pool found another utility by being a place for the swimming team to practice.

“For most of its existence, it was used purely for recreation. However, in the 1990s, Lindenwood’s swim team practiced there,” University Archivist Paul Huffman said.

The Butler Hall pool had to go through a lot of renovation due to how much work was required to take care of it.

“Dorothy Warner, an alumna of Lindenwood College, donated $25,000 to the school to sponsor the renovation of the pool, which had fallen into disuse in 1980 due to a leak,” Linden World reporter Joycelyn Davis said.

Linden World was Lindenwood’s student newspaper from 1985 to 1997. In their newspaper from Dec. 8, 1988, an article was dedicated to Warner’s donation to Lindenwood in order to renovate the pool.

Due to damage and poor maintenance, the school had to close the pool for a long period of time.

“Warner’s contribution paid for the repair of the leaking crack and the painting and retiling of the entire pool complex in Butler Hall,” Davis said.

Lindenwood considered offering students a place to swim in between classes, but this privilege did not last long after the school realized that the pool required a lot of work and money.

“The pool closed in 2016 due to lack of use and the cost of maintenance,” Huffman said.

The pool was a place where students would gather and spend time together outside of school. However, it is not likely to reopen based on the cost and the damage in the building.

Lindenwood has other plans for Butler Hall. They have not decided on what they want to do with this building, but getting a new pool is not one of them.

“We would save the MakerSpace and expand this building after tearing down Butler Hall. Building an addition to the MakerSpace would allow the university to focus visual arts programs in this area,” Moore said.

“All of these plans are still being discussed and could change in the future.”