THCC
is alive and well today thanks to the generous donation of time, money
and items from those in our neighborhood.
To all of you who have donated, we thank you!
We
give special thanks to Andy Place who
had the foresight to reserve an area in the heart of the neighborhood
that would continue to foster community and friendships, as well as,
be a safe wonderful summer place for our children.
We
thank Nancy King who was able to secure
financing to re-build the pool--saving this precious resource.
Over
the years our Staff and Board Members have
spent countless hours making THCC what it is today. Their hearts,
time and kindness have kept the spirit alive.
WNDU Story - THCC
History of the Twyckenham Hills Neighborhood Pool
by Deb Johnson (2005)
“When I drove up the hill, I followed the spotlights to what looked like
a Hollywood movie setting.”
That’s how a prospective homebuyer described Twyckenham Hills in
the early 1950’s. Andy Place, the builder, had an unusual and
innovative way of marketing his newly built homes in the exquisite
Twyckenham Hills neighborhood.
Even though it then only consisted of about five streets, Andy Place’s
new development was THE place to live for young professionals and
their families. His practice of building homes (sometimes right into the
side of a hill) and incorporating them with modern features like double
garages and family rooms, earned Place Builders awards and coverage
in the building trades magazines. Twyckenham Hills was even
featured in Better Homes and Gardens!
The developer of Twyckenham Hills died in 1984. Place Builders
continues to exist and is now being run by son Andy (known today as
Andy Place, Sr.), and grandson Andy, Jr.
Chris (Place) Fenton, daughter of the first Andy Place, noted she didn’t
pay close attention to what her father did for a living, but that he
enjoyed swimming and his “gift” to the neighborhood was the
community pool (now known as Twyckenham Hills Community Club).
Chris stated her father provided the land for the pool simply for
enjoyment. It was a place for everybody to congregate and relax after
a day at work.
The original Place family moved to Privet Lane when Chris was two
years old. Then the family moved to Hays Court and in 1966, moved
out of Twyckenham Hills to her father’s newest development,
Kensington Farms south of Ireland Road. As an adult, Chris Fenton
wanted to live in her father’s neighborhood and now is a homeowner
herself in Twyckenham Hills.
The original swimming pool was made of half-inch thick plate steel.
During the early 1950’s, steel rather than concrete, was the material
of choice for in-ground swimming pools. During the summer of 1982,
after an extremely wet August and September, pool members began
closing down the pool for the winter season. In October it was
discovered that the 10-foot deep end of the pool was suddenly only six
feet deep! A high water table had caused the ground to sink under
the pool, pushing the steel up four feet.
Nancy King, newly elected President of the Board of Directors, plunged
in with both feet and initiated her plan to “save the pool.” Five-year
memberships were sold for five hundred dollars to amass the needed
initial down payment for new construction. The L-shaped pool
dropped from six lanes to four, and the original diving well was filled in
with dirt. However, the pool members had the foresight to lay the
pipes in case a diving well could be added later. Due to the heroic
efforts of Nancy King and her many loyal pool members, THCC was
able to open the following May (1983) in time for the next summer
season.
Children of the 60’s and 70’s remember “Dr. Bob” (Robert Dodd), a
long-time board member, running the weekly swim meets on
Wednesday afternoons while his wife Harriet, along with Mrs. Jean
Hugus, were in charge of the timers. The THCC swim team remains a
strong calling card, as many former team members go on to have
successful swimming careers at our area high schools.
Pool members also fondly remember the adult parties, the teenage
parties (with live bands), and the annual Twyckenham Hills Relay Meet
(which continued until the late 70’s).
THCC remains now as the ONLY outdoor pool on the South side of
South Bend, outlasting Kensington, Ireland Ridge and Scottsdale.
Every generation agrees they spent the best days of their childhood at
the Twyckenham Pool!
(Deb Johnson is a long time member of the pool and a former board member)
