The Historic Wabash YMCA

The historic Wabash YMCA, active between 1913 and 1970, played a vital role during the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North. An orientation center for young men seeking opportunity, the Wabash Y provided lodging and connections to community, becoming a cultural epicenter for Chicago’s African American community. With a peak attendance of 140,000 in 1922, the Y served as a meeting space for over 100 community groups.    After its 1969 closure, the Wabash Y remained uninhabited until its purchase and restoration by The Renaissance Collaborative, reopening in 2000. The building features an adaptive reuse of its original lodging as the Renaissance Apartments as well as office, recreation, and community spaces. Key features include a marble staircase, community room, fitness room, swimming pool, billiard room, and grand ballroom.    The Renaissance Collaborative continues its efforts to preserve the building, utilizing recent federal and private local funding to support the future reopening of the Wabash Y as a community hub.