The
Pittsburg YMCA opened its first location on Friday, April
22, 1887 in the second floor rooms of the Kansas & Texas
Coal Company building located on the southwest corner
of 6th and Broadway. The next morning The Daily Headlight
reported that the “YMCA
rooms were opened last evening, and many of Pittsburg’s
fair young ladies called. They were pleased with their
reception, and consented to assist the young men in further
adorning and furnishing the apartments of the association.” Besides
small apartment rooms for men, there was a commons room
that served as reading and meeting space where papers,
periodicals and books were supplied. As the YMCA was founded
and ran on Christian principals, women weren’t allowed
access to the facility except during devotionals and socials.
After a few years, space was acquired above the Beck and
Hill Meat Market at 303 N. Broadway that was used as a
gymnasium and auditorium. During the week the room was
used as a gym and on Sunday’s the equipment was cleared
and chairs set up for an afternoon worship service.
In 1906 a capital fund drive was began for a permanent
building. Construction started in 1907 on a building on
the southwest corner of 4th and Pine, south of the Methodist
Church. The new building was completed in October 1910
at a cost of $57,000 and dedicated on Thanksgiving that
year. The new Pittsburg YMCA contained the only indoor
swimming pool and gymnasium in the area at that time. It
also contained a cafeteria and dormitory rooms and apartments
for men only. In the 1950’s the apartments became
co-ed and allowed women to rent the rooms. During the 1917
flue epidemic, the YMCA was converted into a temporary
community hospital for the many overflow patients from
the Mt. Carmel Hospital.
After 50 years of 1000’s of men and boys using the
building it began showing signs of wear and tear and was
in need of a facelift. A fund drive in 1956 raised $300,000
for repair and modernization.
Currently the Pittsburg YMCA is located at 1100 N. Miles
in a larger state-of-the-art building that was built in
the 1980’s. The old YMCA building was purchased
by the Methodist church and torn down to make room for
a building expansion of their own. |
