Central YMCA Headquarters

“When the building was completed in 1893, it was the widely considered among the finest YMCA facilities in the country. Sources: Top Left, Inland Architect, August 1892; Bottom Left, Cliff Smith YMCA Postcard Collection, Springfield College Archives and Special Collections; Bottom Right, Historical Sketch of the Young Men's Christian Association of Chicago (published 1898).”

“The exterior masonry walls, no longer required to be load-bearing, instead functioned merely as a “curtain wall” that enveloped the frame. Jenney's technical innovations in the Home Insurance Building helped to pave the way for the modern skyscraper, and Jenney was widely celebrated for his contributions to the development of ever-taller buildings throughout the world.”

“When it was first completed in 1893, the national YMCA organization called the Chicago headquarters “the crowning glory of the building movement of our associations.” Chicago architects Jenney & Mundie designed the original 12-story building that was completed in 1893, and their successor firm Mundie & Jensen later designed the four-story addition that replaced the pyramidal-roof penthouse and rear penthouse levels.”

“Designed by Chicago architect W. W. Boyington and completed in 1867, Farwell Hall was the first large-scale YMCA headquarters of its kind in the world. Occupying a substantial lot at the intersection of Madison and LaSalle Streets, the five-story building was designed to resemble a large office block, with retail storefronts lining its ground floor.”

“N the skyscraper.” His design for the Central YMCA Headquarters with partner William Mundie reflects the growing interplay of Chicago-School structural expression and Classical ornamentation that became a hallmark of the firm's work through the 1890s and early 1900s.”

“Jenney's design for the Manhattan Building at 431 S. Dearborn Street, completed the same year as the Second Leiter Building, also employed a metal skeleton structure and rose to 16 stories, briefly making it the tallest building in the world.”

“Except for the terra-cotta lintels and simple cornices delineating the upper stories, the elevation features no ornamental detailing. Although the contrast between the west tower and the east section of the Central YMCA Headquarters has been smoothed over somewhat with the unifying 1913 addition at the top of the building, the differences between the tower and the south elevation along Arcade Place are still striking and illustrate the negotiation Jenny and Mundie undertook during the design process.”

“This technological advance revolutionized building construction throughout the world. The prominent west tower on the original 1893 design of the Central YMCA Headquarters reflected Mundie's preference for historical styles and his growing influence in the firm, while the Classical Revival design of the Central YMCA's 1913 addition illustrates the increasing popularity of Classical design in the years following the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.”

“A new group of business leaders and philanthropists had revived the organization in 1858, with a mission to “stimulate vital piety among young men resident in, or visiting this city or vicinity.” The Chicago YMCA initially rented rooms in a building on Randolph Street before moving to the First Methodist Church Block, located at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Clark Street in the city center.”