“Birthplace of Black History Month” echoes in the walls of the Former Wabash Avenue YMCA. This building at 3763 S. Wabash Avenue was more than just a YMCA. It was the heart of Chicago’s Black Metropolis.
The Former Wabash Avenue YMCA played a vital role for African Americans in the early 1900s. They fled racial violence and discrimination in the South. They sought new opportunities in Chicago. The Former Wabash Avenue YMCA became a place for resources. It was a place to build communities.
Julius Rosenwald was key to this story. He chaired Sears, Roebuck and Company. Rosenwald funded schools for African American children in the South. He also supported the Wabash Avenue YMCA. Rosenwald gave funds for other YMCAs too. Residents also raised over $20000 for construction. The Former Wabash Avenue YMCA offered education and job training.
Robert C. Berlin designed this five-story building. It features brown-pressed brick. Buff Bedford limestone trims the exterior. The Former Wabash Avenue YMCA is five bays wide on Wabash Avenue. It stretches ten bays long on 38th Street. Inside, there was an auditorium. There was also a swimming pool. Meeting rooms, classrooms, and residential quarters filled the space. An addition was added to the south side in 1945.
Carter G. Woodson helped found the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. It is now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson declared Negro History Week at the Former Wabash Avenue YMCA in 1926. The week coincided with Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’ birthdays. Negro History Week officially became Black History Month in 1976.
Dr. Lionel Kimble Jr. called it a clearing house. People found jobs and reconnected with families here. It was the town square. Kimble’s grandparents settled near the Former Wabash Avenue YMCA.
Julius Rosenwald’s support stemmed from Booker T. Washington’s book “Up from Slavery”. Rosenwald believed in equality. He thought African Americans should contribute to their own causes.
In 1911, Rosenwald challenged Chicago to raise $75000. He offered a $25000 grant contingent on that. James Tilghman, a formerly enslaved man, gave his life savings. It was $1000 in cash. Chicago Blacks exceeded the goal. They raised $66932 in ten days.
The Former Wabash Avenue YMCA opened in 1913. It had 114 rooms. By 1919, 140000 people used the facility. The YMCA provided space for community groups. Residents ate in the first-floor dining room. The community also used it. Many learned to swim in the pool. The second floor had a reading room, billiard room, and gymnasium. The YMCA served as a Red Cross Relief Center during the 1919 race riots. It offered emergency food and paychecks.
The Former Wabash Avenue YMCA closed in the 1970s. Businesses and residents moved away. In 1982, the YMCA sold the building to St. Thomas Episcopal Church for $1. The Renaissance Corporation formed to save the Wabash Y.
The Renaissance Apartments and Fitness for Life Center opened in 2000. It has 101 apartments for formerly homeless adults. William Edouard Scott’s mural was restored. It depicts the “Spirit of the YMCA”. The central figure is a youth choosing his career.
Today, the Former Wabash Avenue YMCA stands as a living landmark. It is a testament to community. It honors Black history and progress.