Knoxville YMCA Building

The Knoxville Downtown YMCA, also known as the Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA, is a building in Knoxville, Tennessee, that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by the Barber & McMurry architecture firm. Completed in 1929, it is the third oldest YMCA facility in the United States.[1]

Knoxville YMCA Building
Location605 Clinch Ave.
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Coordinates35°57′47″N 83°55′16″W
Built1929
ArchitectBarberMcMurry
NRHP reference No.83004256
Added to NRHPNovember 17, 1983

History

The Knoxville YMCA was organized by the Second Presbyterian Church in 1854, disbanded during the Civil War, and reinstated in 1890.[2] The property was originally owned by the McGhee family and was deeded to the YMCA on June 28, 1928.[2][3] The Knoxville Downtown YMCA was built in 1929.[4]

The building was later renamed in honor of Lindsay Young, local attorney and philanthropist who was a major donor to the Knoxville YMCA.[5]

On April 25, 2008, a comprehensive renovation was completed to the property at a cost of approximately $2.5 million, including the conversion and sale of former hotel rooms into condominium residences. The proceeds of the sale of the condominiums and private donations were used to fund the renovations.[6]

Design
Knoxville Downtown YMCA Main Lobby

The interior of the building furnishings and layout are consistent with Spanish Colonial Revival design, featuring arched porticoes, tile flooring, diamond muntined windows, and plaster-covered walls.[6] Knox Heritage describes the building as a combination of architectural revival styles, a strength of its designer Charles I. Barber, but classifies the building as a whole as Mediterranean Revival, with more significant design features of "brick laid in Flemish bond, the water table, corbelled string course, and interior courtyard and fourth-story loggias."[2]

YMCA facility

The YMCA facility is equipped with an indoor running track, lap pool, basketball court, racketball and handball courts, locker rooms for men and women, saunas and steam rooms, exercise studios, and a variety of exercise equipment.[6][7]

References
  1. Barber McMurry Architects Website. Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  2. "Knoxville YMCA, 605 West Church Avenue". Downtown Walking Tour. Knox Heritage, Inc. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  3. "City of Knoxville Revenue Office". Deed Book: 468 – Page: 430. City of Knoxville. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  4. Knoxville YMCA Website Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  5. Woodson, Jamie (February 16, 2006). "Senate Joint Resolution 561: A Resolution to honor the memory of Lindsay Young of Knoxville" (PDF). Tennessee Senate.
  6. Davis, Marti, "Historic YMCA unveils upgrades". Knoxville News Sentinel, April 28, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  7. "Facilities". Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA. Knoxville YMCA. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.