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Twelfth Street YMCA Building

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Twelfth Street YMCA Building
Twelfth Street YMCA Building in 2023
Twelfth Street YMCA Building is located in Washington, D.C.
Twelfth Street YMCA Building
Location within Washington, D.C.
Twelfth Street YMCA Building is located in the United States
Twelfth Street YMCA Building
Location within the United States
Location1816 12th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°54′53.8″N 77°01′41.8″W / 38.914944°N 77.028278°W / 38.914944; -77.028278
Area.395 acres (1,600 m2)[1]
Built1908-12
ArchitectWilliam Sidney Pittman
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
Part ofGreater U Street Historic District[2] (ID93001129)
NRHP reference No.83003523
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 3, 1983[3]
Designated NHLOctober 12, 1994[4]
Designated DCIHSApril 29, 1975

Twelfth Street YMCA Building, also known as the Anthony Bowen YMCA, is a historic building in Washington, DC, that housed the first African American chapter of YMCA, founded in 1853 by Anthony Bowen. The building opened in 1912 as the Twelfth Street YMCA and was later renamed the Anthony Bowen YMCA in honor of its founder. The building is located at 1816 12th Street NW in the U Street Corridor (Cardozo/Shaw) neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The YMCA closed in 1982 because of financial difficulties and declining membership.[5] The building was reopened on February 20, 2000, as the Thurgood Marshall Center in honor of the first African American Associate Justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court. The center now serves as a community center for residents of the U Street Corridor and Shaw neighborhoods.

The Renaissance Revival building was designed by William Sidney Pittman, one of the United States' first African American architects and a son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994 and is a contributing property to the Greater U Street Historic District.[1][4]

Description

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The Twelfth Street YMCA Building is located on the west side of 12th Street NW, between S and T Streets in Washington, DC. It is a four-story rectangular building constructed of red brick with gray brick and limestone trim. Its main entrance features a Tuscan-style portico, while the exterior includes decorative brickwork, limestone bands, and a cornice along the roofline. The upper floors have red brick walls with gray brick accents at the corners. Windows are arranged in pairs with limestone keystones.[1]

The Twelfth Street YMCA Building had several spaces for recreation and community activities. These included an indoor swimming pool in the basement, a gymnasium on the first floor, and a lounge with a fireplace. The basement also originally contained a bowling alley. The building included 54 sleeping rooms to accommodate visitors.[1] The building also had offices and rooms on the upper floors. Photographs taken in October 1979 show what these spaces looked like before the YMCA closed in 1982.[6]

History

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Early history and Anthony Bowen's legacy

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In 1853, Anthony Bowen founded the Colored Young Men's Christian Association in Washington, DC, one year after the city's first YMCA opened. Bowen had been born into slavery in Maryland and later purchased his freedom. He became a religious leader and educator who worked to improve educational and social opportunities for African Americans.[7]

Bowen established the organization to provide African Americans with opportunities for education, recreation, and community support at a time when they were excluded from Washington's white YMCA. The larger YMCA organization initially refused to provide financial assistance, so Bowen used his own money to support the association. For nearly four decades, the organization operated in rented or donated spaces.[5]

Growth and construction of the Twelfth Street YMCA

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The organization struggled financially in its early years and was not formally incorporated until 1892. In 1891, the organization moved into a rented building on 11th Street NW, but later relocated soon after due to declining membership. By 1904, membership had grown to approximately 600 people.[5]

After a membership drive revitalized the organization, it secured a pledge from John D. Rockefeller Sr. for $25,000, which was matched by fundraising from across the nation's African American community. It is believed to be the first such campaign of its type in that community. Julius Rosenwald also contributed to the building project, although neighborhood residents raised most of the construction funds.[5] This building was completed in 1912 to a design by African-American architect William Sidney Pittman.[1]

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on November 26, 1907, and was atended by hundreds of Black and white people. On November 26, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt participated in the cornerstone ceremony. The cornerstone contained a Bible, a copy of Roosevelt's speech, local newspapers, YMCA literature, and a YMCA button. Construction was temporarily halted in 1911 before the building was completed and dedicated onMay 19, 1912.[1]

Although Bowen died before the building was constructed, the organization continued the work he began.[5]

Community life and historical significance

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On January 9, 1914, the permanent organization of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity was established in the Bowen Room of the Twelfth Street YMCA Building.[8] The Twelfth Street YMCA was the first of 25 African American YMCA buildings to receive financial support through Julius Rosenwald's building program. It became a model for fundraising and construction of similar facilities across the country and is recognized as the oldest surviving Rosenwald funded African American YMCA building.[1]

Closure and historic preservation

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In 1973, the Twelfth Street YMCA was officially renamed Anthony Bowen YMCA in honor of its founder. It closed in 1982, suffering from declining membership and mounting building maintenance costs.[1] Washington DC Congressional Delegate Walter E. Fauntroy and Mayor Marion Barry led several protests demanding the reopening of the building due to its historical significance.[9]

On October 3, 1983, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10] In 1989, Congressional Delegate Walter E. Fauntroy introduced a bill in Congress to designate the Anthony Bowen Landmark Building (formerly the Anthony Bowen Y.M.C.A.) in Washington, DC, as a national historic site.[11] The building was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 12, 1994.[12]

Restoration and reopening

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Following the YMCA's closure in 1982, efforts began to preserve the historic building and return it to community use.[13] In September 1998, restoration work began to transform the former YMCA into the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage. The renovation focused on preserving the building's historic features while creating space for community organizations, educational programs, and social services.[14] The project cost approximately $6.5 million, and the building reopened in February 2000 under the direction of the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust, Incorporated.[14][15]

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Laura Harris Hughes and Laura V. Trieschmann (March 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Twelfth Street Young Men's Christian Association Building / Anthony Bowen Young Men's Christian Association Building" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying nine photos, exterior and interior, from 1994 (32 KB)
  2. ↑ Trieschmann, Laura V.; Sellin, Anne; Callcott, Stephen (November 1998), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Greater U Street Historic District (PDF), retrieved March 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Twelfth Street YMCA Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Twelfth Street YMCA". National Park Service. August 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Mahon, Dynecourt (October 1979). "Twelfth Street YMCA Building, 1816 Twelfth Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia". Library of Congress. Retrieved October 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ "History". YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  8. ↑ "2040 Impact Strategic Plan" (PDF). Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Perl, Peter (March 29, 1982). "Reopening of Bowen Y Demanded at Rally". Washington Post.
  10. ↑ "NPGallery Digital Asset Management System". October 3, 1983.
  11. ↑ 101st Congress (1989-1990) (June 2, 1989). "H.R.2301 - To designate the Anthony Bowen Landmark Building (formerly the Anthony Bowen Y.M.C.A.) in Washington, the District of Columbia as a national historic site, and for other purposes". Congress.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Anthony Bowen YMCA (Twelfth Street YMCA)". DC Historic Sites.
  13. ↑ Wheeler, Linda (September 24, 1998). "Preserving a Century of Service in Shaw". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. 1 2 Haq, Adil (April 29, 1999). "YMCA Renovation to Begin". Washington Post.
  15. ↑ Gaines, Patrice (April 27, 2000). "Hoops, Hope, and history". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ Smith, Gerald L. (1994). A Black Educator in the Segregated South. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 61. ISBN 9780813118567. OCLC 622296614 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ↑ Goggin, Jacqueline Anne (1993). Carter G. Woodson: A Life in Black History. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780807117934. OCLC 45843468 – via Internet Archive.
  18. ↑ Moorland–Spingarn Research Center Staff (October 1, 2015). Davis, John Warren. Washington, D.C.: Howard University. p. 5. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
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