Wenatchee YMCA

Plans were made for the YMCA in Wenatchee in 1910. $60,000 was needed, and a drive for money was launched. Economic conditions in the valley took a turn for the worse, and the $37,000 in pledges did not materialize. Construction was delayed. Although the cornerstone reads 1910, the building was not opened until September 28, 1914. There were dormitory rooms on the second and third floors. The rooms were furnished by different business firms, church organizations and individuals. The large gym was coveted by all the basketball teams in the area. The indoor swimming pool was another drawing card. Financial woes continued to haunt the “Y”. In 1917, $25,000 was needed to keep the bank from foreclosing. In the depression years the “Y” found it difficult to makes ends meet. In 1941 Wayne Emory, a man from Denver, was brought in to raise money to pay off the mortgage. His efforts were successful, and the thirty-year, $17,000 mortgage was burned at a victory dinner on June 6, 1944, at the Columbia Hotel. Emory was rewarded with the position of Secretary of the YMCA. There have been several remodeling and expansion projects. The adjacent Columbia Building was acquired in 1958. Further improvements were made in 1960 and 1964. The years 1967-68 saw many major changes. The dormitory rooms were taken out. A lounge and handball courts were installed on the third floor, and the main gym was removed.