History of Montclair YMCA

The Montclair YMCA was founded in the year 1891. It operated for six years over a store located at 510 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair. The need for complete Y facilities was so strongly felt that plans were laid to raise funds for a completely new YMCA facility. This dream was achieved, and a new Y was built, located at 538 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair at a cost of $80,000 and was dedicated on May 4, 1899. The erection of this building was largely made possible by a generous gift from Mr. Joseph Van Vleck. The Y grew in stature and in 25 years the building had outlived its usefulness.

On Friday evening, December 19, 1926 a dedication took place to open up the new Y facility at 25 Park Street, with a frontage of 125 feet and a depth of 130 feet. This compact four story and basement structure was admirably fitted to serve Montclair's coming generations. In 1853, two years after following the YMCA movement taking place in North America, Anthony Bowen a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington DC, and a group of his friends organized the YMCA for African American men and boys. On April 10, 1927, the Montclair YMCA dedicated the opening of the branch at 39 Washington Street, Montclair. The principal speaker was Channing H. Tobias, a senior director for African American work, National Council YMCA. The Washington Street Branch was one of the few complete buildings for African American youth in the state and served as a model for other communities.

In November 1959, the Committee of Management of the Washington Street Branch, voted to integrate the Washington Street Branch in all phases of activity and programming. The merger and reorganization of the two facilities became official on January 28, 1964, which included having women's and girl's swim classes held at 25 Park Street.

The Montclair YMCA has been providing quality programs and membership opportunities for individuals and families for the past 115 plus years.