The YMCA building was constructed to give people a place to eat, stay for short or long terms, and worship.The highrise was originally constructed with an indoor pool which is still in use. The main part of the building was used as living/housing space.
Planned as the finest YMCA in Ohio, the 16-story Art Deco building opened to the public in 1931.
Akron YMCA Building is a registered historic building in Akron, Ohio, listed in the National Register on October 31, 1980. Although the YMCA is still in the building for which it is named, the organization no longer owns the building. The YMCA now leases space on the lower floors from the building’s owner.
The Akron YMCA began in 1870 as a small reading room on South Howard Street. By In 1904 they had grown enough to build a five-story building at State and Main. This structure was later raised to make room for the Mayflower Hotel.
This is Akron’s first YMCA building. The organization would outgrow this building by the 1920’s and replace it with a 16-story Art Deco building in 1931. The Young Men’s Christian Association, commonly known as simply the Y, is an organization founded on putting Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy “body, mind, and spirit”.
