Young Men's Christian Associations of North America

After several preliminary attempts, the Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) was established in Spokane Falls, Washington Territory on November 4, 1884. William Markham was its first secretary. The Association, combining interests in social, physical and spiritual welfare among men, grew rapidly in the rapidly expanding trade center of eastern Washington. Soon after 1900, attempts were made to raise funds for a permanent home with full facilities. A large new building was constructed at First and Sprague Avenues across the street from the block where the Davenport Hotel was established in 1913. The full-facility Y.M.C.A. was dedicated in September of 1906. In 1913 the Association added a full-time camp on Fan Lake near Deer Park, Washington, as a result of an 11-acre gift of a Mr. Reed, after whom the camp is named. From 1930 to 1955, the Association tried on several occasions to secure and hold land for the building of a new Downtown Branch. Long standing operational deficits made the raising of funds difficult. It was not until 1957 that a permanent site for the new facility was purchased on Havermale Island. Fifty percent of the site cost was donated by the Washington Water Power Company; the other half was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ray L. Barton. In 1956 the Cummerford Foundation was retained by the YMCA to raise money for a new corporation, the Building Fund, Incorporated, established to guarantee capital donors that their donations would be used only for capital purposes. The campaign goal of $2,000,000 was subscribed only to the extent of $360,000. However, in 1956 the Association was able to form a North Branch and to use a facility on the Little Spokane River owned by the Downtown Kiwanis Club, a major center for North Branch activities. Two years later, a Valley Branch began operations. In 1967 it merged with the Downtown Branch to become a part of the newly formed Y.M.C.A. of the Inland Empire. The operational deficit problems that had plagued the Association from 1900 to 1925 continued through the Great Depression. When general secretary Lawrence B. Knisley retired in 1965 the Association had accumulated additional debt as a result of deficit years following the 1956 Cummerford campaign. The Association Board of Trustees rallied around new leadership so that, in 1965 and 1966, $480,000 was raised for "Operation Move." This was an attempt to finish the inside of the large concrete shell which had been erected in six stages on the Havermale Island site. The old building at First and Sprague Avenues was sold to a company controlled by Sam Postell, a former member of the Board, at its original construction price of $75,000. The old building was torn down by Postell in order to build a motel annex on the site. The new Downtown Branch was established on January 23, 1967, with a large program including 98 hours of instructional activities per week. The program started well, but it was a large endeavor compared to the program in the old building. There was simply not enough time to adequately train personnel so many programs were offered on a minimum quality level until the staffing and training caught up with the program. In May 2000, the YMCA opened a new facility in the Spokane Valley, followed by new facilities in North Spokane (2009) and downtown (2010). The downtown facility was developed as a shared project of the YMCA and YWCA.

From the description of Records, 1913-2010. (Eastern Washington State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 42687109