Centre Avenue YMCA renovation set to begin
Building to hold new affordable housing
Hill District leaders and others who gathered Friday at the Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church celebrated the history of the nearby Centre Avenue YMCA, which is about to be renovated into 73 new affordable housing units.
Many who spoke during a ceremony to mark the launch of the $7 million construction project shared memories of spending time at the landmark YMCA as they were growing up and focused on its significance to generations of black residents in the Hill.
City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, who represents the neighborhood, said he learned to swim and play basketball at the YMCA, participated in its summer camps and worked there.
“That building means a lot to me and this community,” Mr. Lavelle said. “It was built because there was a critical need to better the lives of African Americans. As we move forward, we need to continue to understand that mantra.”
The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is partnering with Action-Housing to create a nonprofit, Centre Avenue Housing Inc., that will own and manage the facility.
Centre Avenue Housing’s board will include representatives from the YMCA, Action-Housing, building residents and community
members, said David Bluemling, YMCA board chair.
“Our name may no longer be on that building, but the YMCA remains in this community and will always be a neighbor,” he said.
Since 2012, fitness facilities and many of the YMCA’s neighborhood programs have been based at the Thelma Lovette branch, less than a mile away on Centre Avenue.
During construction, approximately 50 tenants who reside at the facility will not be displaced, said Lena Andrews, director of real estate development for ActionHousing.
Single-room rents are currently $95 per week and, “We would like to keep it in that vicinity” when renovations are completed, Ms. Andrews said.
Opened in 1923, the Centre Avenue branch for much of its history “pulsated day in and day out” with activities, including amateur boxing, arts and crafts programs and political forums, said Leon Haley, professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, who wrote a history of the building.
It has offered single-room housing since it opened and converted the space for lowincome tenants in 1988.
Many black celebrities appeared there, and sports figures such as Jackie Robinson stayed there when city hotels were still segregated.
The renovation, expected to take 10 months, includes shared kitchen space, common areas and space for programs.
Bathrooms designed to accommodate several individuals at once will be replaced by several individual bathrooms on each floor.
The roof, plumbing, electrical, sprinkling and heating/cooling systems will be replaced, and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility features, including an elevator, will be added.
Funding for the renovation has come from 21 sources to date, and more are expected to commit by the time the project is finished, said Lawrence Swanson, executive director of Action-Housing.
The state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program provided $1.5 million, the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority Housing Opportunity Fund provided $600,000 and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency provided $400,000.
Foundation contributions include a lead gift of $400,000 from McAuley Ministries.