YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
The YMCA has a straightforward mission: to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
Historic preservation is not part of that mission, and for that reason, along with declining membership, the Ozarks Regional YMCA’s board of directors has opted to sell its downtown Springfield building at 417 S. Jefferson Ave. It was listed by agent Gerald Zamora of Zamora Real Estate in June with an asking price of $4.5 million.
Christian Lewis, president of the ORYMCA board, said the board’s priority is the Y’s mission.
“With any sale or change in operation, the board’s responsibility is to make sure the organization is on the right track from a financial stability standpoint,” he said.
The board is aware of the historic nature of the building, which was constructed to house the Young Men’s Christian Association in 1913. The YMCA has been responsible for its ongoing repairs and maintenance since it opened. Lewis said the historical element might be attractive to a buyer.
“We would hope if a sale does go through, a potential buyer would capitalize on that historic building and continue to preserve what is there,” he said.
The ORYMCA’s annual report from 2021 shows the organization’s revenue outpaced expenses by $1.8 million. The organization took in $10.8 million and spent $9 million. Of the expenditures, 88% went toward program services, with 11% going toward management and general expenses, including building upkeep.
Kathryn Custer, CEO of the ORYMCA, declined to quantify declining membership numbers, referring inquiries to the annual report, which cites a combined 19,267 members for nine units in the ORYMCA.
Lewis specified that from 2018 through May of 2022, Ward’s membership decline was almost double that of the association-wide average.
“When you have financial deficiencies in one area, other areas have to absorb them,” he said.
Heritage building
Constructed in 1913, the Italianate brick structure that houses the Ward Downtown YMCA comprises 62,000 square feet, including a 1971 addition. Its cost to build in 1913 was $100,000, the equivalent of $3 million today, according to information compiled by local historian and real estate agent Richard Crabtree.
Crabtree said the building replaced one that had been destroyed by fire in 1911. He pointed to the YMCA floor plan in a 1912 edition of the Springfield Republican newspaper; it included a bowling alley, barber shop, swimming pool and cafeteria in the basement. The first floor had a gymnasium and offices, and the second floor had a running track and classrooms. Over 30 rooms were contained in the third- and fourth-floor dormitories.
Crabtree added that the YWCA – the women’s version of the Y – merged with the YMCA to become the Springfield Family Y in 1982. The YWCA building was quietly sold, and its proceeds were used to build the southside Y, known as the Pat Jones YMCA on 1901 E. Republic Road, according to multiple media sources.
That 1917 structure, at Walnut Street and Jefferson Avenue, was demolished in 2018 to make way for student housing, and Crabtree worries that the YMCA building may face a similar outcome.
“It’s easier for a contractor to build a new building than it is to restore an existing structure,” he said. “Thank goodness we have people like (Bass Pro Shops founder) Johnny Morris around who sees the advantages of keeping the historic structure in place.”
Not closing
Custer stressed that the YMCA is not closing; the building is simply for sale.
“The building is over 100 years old,” she said. “We’ve had a decline in membership and a decline in usage for the past 10 years. It is a large, five-story building, and the needs that we have moving forward don’t match the space that we’re in.”
Custer said the ORYMCA’s desire is to maintain a presence downtown.
Lewis agreed it was untenable to continue to operate in the 1913 building.
“There are quite a bit of ongoing repairs and maintenance,” he said. “The infrastructure of the building, with it being so old, has deteriorated over time.”
Custer said about a year ago, the board tasked her with developing solutions for moving forward with the century-old building. She convened a committee to discuss ideas.
“We have been and continue to be open to really any opportunity,” she said.
Members can continue to use the downtown facility, Custer said.
“We have never made the statement that we’re closing, but we’re looking to change how we’re doing business,” she said.
Following a year of weighing its options, the board voted to list the property for sale, in part, due to a ripe seller’s market, Custer said. Realtor.com reports the median listing price for homes in Springfield had risen 25% year over year as of May. Meanwhile, the process of weighing options continues.
The committee looked at other types of YMCA facilities around the country, Custer said. The options are varied for a sale that could include creative partnerships:
In some cities, older YMCA buildings, usually containing dormitory rooms, have been converted to office or studio spaces. In Joplin, plans are in the works to transform the former downtown YMCA into an apartment complex, and this trend toward providing affordable housing in former YMCAs is also seen in other cities, like Sioux Falls, South Dakota. An old YMCA in Denver is being restored into a hotel, according to media reports.
Preserving history
When asked if a sale of the building would include a preservation agreement to keep the building intact, Lewis said no.
“For any sale, it is the executive management of the association and the board’s responsibility to make sure the organization is on the right track from a financial stability standpoint,” he said.
Layne Hunton, chair of the city’s Landmarks Board, said the building was granted local historic landmarks designation in 1986, and that requires current or future owners to make a proposal to the board if they have plans that will impact the exterior of the building or site. The board has not heard of any planned changes, he said.
Hunton said his personal opinion is that the building has value.
“It’s a great building with a lot of history, and we’d be remiss as a community if we didn’t have a conversation about its future plans,” he said.
For Lewis, the focus is on the Y’s mission.
“The board and executive leadership are charged with making sound business decisions,” he said. “Being a 100-plus-year-old building, that’s not necessarily the best use of the financial resources of the organization.”
Lewis said the building has been maintained through regular upkeep.
“The YMCA does its best to maintain the good standing of the property,” he said. “We would hope that any potential buyer would do the same.”
He added the board would not accept just any offer.
“We’re not just looking to take an offer and walk. We want to evaluate the options to relocate,” he said.
Crabtree has seen historic preservation efforts come and, more often, go, with the wrecking ball often winning the day.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” he said. “I’m sure there will be an outcry, but that doesn’t seem to stop these people anymore.”
Lewis acknowledged the Ward location has historical importance.
“We’ve served the Springfield community for over 130 years, and the Ward location is significant from a historical standpoint,” he said. “Sometimes in business, there are tough decisions you have to make to ensure you can reach that ultimate goal.” •
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