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Renovations underway for 50-year-old Johnson Aquatic Center

By Staff Report, posted Sep 18, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

Photo provided by Campbell University

Campbell University’s Nathan R. Johnson Aquatic Center is due for some upgrades. 

Work began in August to replace the roof on the 50-year-old building, and plans are in place for major upgrades inside, such as new paint, new sound panels, scoreboard upgrades and new heat units for the locker rooms.

The work falls under two major objectives in President William M. Downs’ Strategic Plan, announced earlier this year. The building not only sees significant use from Campbell athletes and students, it serves an important role in the community as well as home to swim camps and local swim clubs and as a recreational and rehab facility for nearby residents.

“I am pleased that we have been able to give the Aquatic Center some long overdue attention,” Downs said in a press release. “Our coach and student-athletes deserve this and more, and we look forward to further elevating the swim experience at Campbell in the future.”

Swimming Coach Zachary Bagby calls the announcement “great news” for everyone, especially his swimmers.

“Our swimming team has been at the top of the Coastal Athletic Association in terms of GPA, and they represent this University very well,” he said in a press release.  “[The renovations] tell them they’re being recognized for their work.”

Bagby was promoted to head swimming coach in 2024 after serving as an assistant under longtime head coach Pascal Molinard for six years. Under his guidance, Campbell secured its first CAA medal at the 2024 conference championships, and his team set eight school records that year. 

THE NATATORIUM

Campbell University broke ground on the Nathan Robert Johnson Aquatic Center — then called the Natatorium — in 1972. Original plans for the building included an open patio area “on the western exposure” and in addition to the pool, locker rooms and offices, was to also include handball courts, a physical fitness laboratory, a weight room and facilities for the wrestling team.

By 1974, due to rising costs of building materials and labor at the time, Campbell cut back on some of those plans and stuck to focusing on the pool and its amenities.

In October of 1976, the building was formally dedicated in a ceremony where James McDaniel Johnson, a Dunn attorney, spoke in memory of his nephew for whom the building is named, a 1970 Campbell graduate who was killed in an accident. The young man’s parents were also on hand for the dedication.

The pool served mostly as a hub for physical fitness for students and the community — and hosted local high school and club practices and swim meets — until 2004, when the University added women’s swimming to its athletics roster. The first squad was coached by Molinard and was a member of the Northeast Conference, joining a few schools in the northeast and a few southern schools like Gardner-Webb, North Carolina A&T, Howard and even Florida A&M.

As the building approaches its true 50th birthday this October, it’s showing its age.

Sound panels and paint are peeling, there is little heat in the locker rooms during winter months and the scoreboards and clocks could use an upgrade. The last major renovations were made in 2009 to bring drainage up to federal standards and in 2014 when the venue’s sound system was updated.

The aquatic center has been closed to the public while crews finish the roof work and is expected to open again by next week. The center’s website has open swim hours (Mondays through Fridays, noon to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.) and upcoming closings for lifeguard training, holidays and the annual Swim Alumni Event in October.

Work will continue throughout the semester, and when it’s complete, Bagby said the upgrades will be special.

“It’s already a privilege to do what I do here, and to see what’s happening now, it’s all very cool,” he said in a press release. “Just really a privilege.”

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