Flushing YMCA records

The first YMCA branch in Flushing actually opened before the area was part of New York City, in 1895. However, it closed in 1897 because of financial problems. Many of the men who had frequented the branch at 57 Locust Street turned to the Army branch at Fort Totten in Brooklyn. Not until 1926 did a branch reopen in Flushing. The new branch was part of the significant expansion of the Brooklyn YMCA, soon to be called the Brooklyn and Queens YMCA. The branch, as envisioned in 1920, would serve Bayside, Douglaston, College Point, Whitestone and other communities in the immediate area. Ground was broken in December, 1924, and the building was ready for occupancy in March of 1926.

The Flushing branch broke new ground in several ways. First, by 1927 there were almost 900 women on the branch membership roles. Second, the Flushing branch planners were responsible for expanding the name of the association from the Brooklyn YMCA to the Brooklyn and Queens YMCA, a change that occurred in 1924 before ground was broken for the new branch. The Flushing branch became known for its swimming programs, and was the training home of several Olympic swimmers, including Lynn Burke, who won the gold in the 100 meter backstroke in 1960.

Today, the branch continues to welcome visitors from around the world, offering more than 125 hotel rooms and access to the world-class swimming and fitness facilities. The branch builds on its historic emphasis on aquatics, providing swimming classes for all ages and levels of ability.

Information taken from History of the Brooklyn and Queens Young Men's Christian Association, 1853-1949, by E. Clark Worman (1952), and from The YMCA at 150: A History of the YMCA of Greater New York, 1852-2002, by Pamela Bayless (2002).