Tenderloin Y bid a somber goodbye
June 30, 2009
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| Fond farewell: Joe Wilson, bottom left, works out at the Central YMCA on Monday. The building that’s housed the gym for the past 99 years will close today. (Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — For Gary Elizy, 49, the Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA is more than a historic treasure or even an oasis in the Tenderloin. Calling it a gym doesn’t begin to describe it.
Elizy, who has worked since he was 16 in virtually every capacity at the Y, has watched his former elementary school campers enroll their own children in the youth programs and he has forged friendships that have spanned more than three decades.
“I have members who say, ‘I remember you when you was this big,’” Elizy said, his hand hovering at his chest. “This place is a home.”
The eight-story, 150,000-square-foot building at the corner of Leavenworth Street and Golden Gate Avenue opened in 1910 to replace San Francisco’s original YMCA center, which was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.
It closes today following an evening celebration, a last hurrah for many of the 5,000 people it serves. Youth and senior programs will continue at the facility until October, as the YMCA searches for an interim space.
A new YMCA will open nearby in about two years, said Karen Bradley Follette, vice president of the organization’s San Francisco chapter.
The YMCA is currently negotiating with UC Hastings College of the Law to build on a lot owned by the school.
The Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp. bought the Central YMCA’s building two years ago for $12.2 million, Follette said. The Department of Public Health and the Mayor’s Office of Housing are providing funds to turn the building into affordable housing units for homeless and low-income residents. An on-site health center will deliver services.
In the meantime, the 2,500 members who use the gym will be able to use any other YMCA. A number of people have already transferred their memberships to the Embarcadero Y on Spear Street. But for many, the atmosphere in the 99-year-old club will be impossible to replicate.
“It’s sad. I’ve made a lot of good friends here,” said 74-year-old Dick Rees, who continues to travel to the club even after moving from San Francisco to Oakland five years ago.
Tenderloin resident Joe Wilson, 69, said he will miss more than just his workouts.
“You get to know everyone. It’s like a family,” he said.
The final basketball game was played Monday, said Penny Carroll, director of marketing and membership.
“Some of these guys have been playing together for 20 or 30 years,” she said. “There were some tears.”
Central YMCA offerings
- Health and fitness education
- Community building classes
- Leadership development
- Volunteerism and wellness programs
- Group exercise classes
- Indoor pool with original tile from 1910
- Fitness equipment
- Basketball courts
- Theater
- Cafe
- Senior center
- Youth center
- Financial assistance for members
Source: YMCA
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