World’s First YMCA Closing – IOTW Report

World’s First YMCA Closing

BBC

The world’s first YMCA, which is central London’s largest gym, is due to close in February after being sold.

The club near Tottenham Court Road blames demographic changes, the age of the building and soaring maintenance costs which “are now not being covered by the number of members the club can sustain”.

Originally opened in 1911, it was used as a shelter in World War Two before being demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s.

“I am sincerely grateful to everyone who has contributed to the club over the years,” chief executive Ryan Palmer said in a statement. More

15 Comments on World’s First YMCA Closing

  1. I remember going with my Dad to Indian Guides, Pinewood Derby, car washes and buying a Christmas tree every year at the local YMCA. Drumming the YMCA out of business is all part of a larger democRAT/Commnunist effort to destroy the social fabric of the United States.

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  2. @Harry: I remember bringing my sons to Indian Guides. Our last year in the program, the YMCA changed the name to “Y Guides” so as to not offend native Americans. But I think it had the opposite effect; our group had to research the Indian name and learn about that particular tribe – now we just forget about them and the kids never learn where they lived or their society. Our “tribe” was named after a Great Plains tribe that most people have not heard of nowadays.

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  3. I remember my Uncle used to stay at the YMCA when he came to visit with his sister who was my Grandmother.
    He used to get a room pretty cheap.
    It was just a basic room with a bed, chair, lamp and little table.
    No cooking allowed. That YMCA has since been replaced. Don’t know if the YMCA’s still offer rooms but back in the 60’s they did.

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  4. Different Tim – When my Dad came to Cleveland looking for a job after the war he stayed at the Y.

    @Wyatt – I think one of the more interesting things about all this ginned up Indian “sensitivity” are all the counties with Indian names that no one says anything about. My state, Ohio, has probably a majority of the counties with Indian names as do many other states as a TRIBUTE to Indians… but nooooo the White man gets no credit for that!!

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  5. The old original downtown Spokane YMCA back in the mid 60’s swimming pool was located on the 2nd floor and all the heat and steam from the pool caused the old wooden floors to warp and the same for the racquetball courts upstairs. They also allowed males to swim in the pool naked at the time, we would go downtown to the Y to play billiards on their pool tables and just hang around the Y and have fun on Saturdays. They tore that one down in the mid to late 60’s and built a new Y right on the edge of the Spokane River in downtown. Years later they found that a family of beavers were living under the foundation of the Y in an area where the river flowed under the Y. Now the YMCA and YWCA are combined and are located on N. Monroe Street just N. of the downtown area.

  6. When I first got to San Diego in early Jan. 1973 it was late, and I stayed overnight at the Y on Broadway in in downtown San Diego until the next morning when I reported to NAS Miramar N. of SD as my first duty station. Before I left that morning a black male queer tried to hustle me in the front of the Y, and I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.

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