The Allegheny YMCA is set to receive a near-total makeover beginning in the first quarter of 2025, using an accumulated $24 million in funding from grants and donations.
Chief Development Officer for YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Carolyn Grady said it will be a complete renovation of the building, which has remained practically untouched for the past 97 years.
“It will be top-to-bottom — basement all the way up to the fifth floor,” Grady said. “I can’t think of a space in the building that will be untouched by the renovation.”
The project will modernize its 89 single-room occupancy units located on the top three floors, updating the 1920s dormitory-style bathrooms into four individual bathrooms on each floor to allow more privacy and improved facilities for residents.
The renovated building will have full ADA accessibility with the addition of two elevators, which Grady says will open up more space on the upper floors for group exercise classes. The second floor will also feature a new childcare space that can accommodate 38 children from infants to pre-K.
Renovations will also include the installation of a full air conditioning system.
“It's a six story building basement, first through fifth floor, and it has one thermostat,” Grady said. “Those top floors — third, fourth and fifth floor — have no air conditioning whatsoever, and the electrical of the building is insufficient to support window air conditioners. So, this is going to make those rooms tremendously more comfortable, particularly as our summers get hotter.”
While the organization reports that no residents will be displaced, the non-resident spaces of the Allegheny YMCA will close for the duration of construction. Members may continue using other YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh facilities without restrictions. Non-resident spaces of the Allegheny YMCA will close for about nine months until third quarter 2025, construction throughout the rest of the building is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
The YMCA will host a community block party on Monterey Street right in front of the building from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. Anyone with questions or concerns about the project for the YMCA staff is encouraged to attend.
“It’s an inconvenience. We know that,” Grady said. “We’re still making accommodations, but we hope to keep as many people as we possibly can still engaged with the Y.”
The YMCA intends to maintain communication with its roughly 1,200 members throughout construction. Grady said the project would not be possible without the support and funding they’ve received from every level of the community.
“We're thrilled that we have this opportunity and partnership with the good support of so many people,” she said. “We've had nothing but strong support.”
The building was dedicated in 1927 and in addition to affordable housing, the Allegheny Y also offers "Before and After School" programs, group exercise classes, summer camps and, upon completion of the renovations, an exam room for in-person or telemedicine healthcare appointments.
