West Side YMCA photographs

The West Side branch of the YMCA of Greater New York began in November 1896 on 57th Street in a building known as "McBurney's Folly" because its vast size and scope were thought to be far greater than would ever be needed in New York City. It was also seen as too remote from the center of the city to be attractive. Despite its nickname, the building soon became an important influence in subsequent YMCA building design. The structure was built on land donated by Cornelius and William H. Vanderbilt and had separate facilities for boys and men, including gyms, swimming pools, and bowling alleys. Although it added a 300 bed residence in 1912, the branch moved to a new location in April of 1930. The new building, between 3-11 West 63rd Street and 6-12 West 64th Street opened near Central Park West, with a capacity for 10,000 members and a cost of $3,250,000. Soon after, an addition was constructed to house the Trade and Technical School of the Educational Department. Later to be a college preparatory school known as the McBurney School, it is thought to have been the model for the school attended by Holden Caulfied in The Catcher in the Rye.

Designed by Dwight James Baum, who made his professional reputation building houses for the upper-middle class in Riverdale's Fieldston section in the Bronx and in Westchester County suburbs, the structure was the world's largest YMCA building. With fourteen stories and 600 guest rooms, the West Side Y was designed around a medieval theme, with polychrome tile, battlements and irregular balconies spaced to resemble a 12th century Italian fortified town. Baum's appointment as architect may have been a result of his success with New York Association president Cleveland E. Dodge's house in Riverdale, which he designed in 1924.

The McBurney School moved and eventually closed, and the YMCA of Greater New York then sold the building and the air rights to a developer who opened a 41-story condominium tower cantilevered over the West Side Y. The YMCA reportedly received $23 million dollars in new facilities and cash payments despite the bitter opposition aroused in the neighborhood by the project.

This branch of the YMCA of Greater New York has a long history of athletic prowess, and its gymnastics, handball and basketball teams have been well-regarded during this branch's 100-plus year history. Like other YMCAs in New York City with residential programs, the West Side YMCA provided a temporary home to a number of future celebrities, including Fred Allen, John Barrymore, Montgomery Clift, Lee J. Cobb, Kirk Douglas, Eddie Duchin, Douglas Fairbanks, Dave Garroway, Bob Hope, Elia Kazan, Jack Kerouac, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dan Rather, Norman Rockwell, Andy Rooney, Robert Penn Warren, Johnny Weismuller, Malcolm X and Tennessee Williams.

(Information taken from The YMCA at 150: A History of the YMCA of Greater New York, 1852-2002by Pamela Bayless and from websites)