Columbia’s downtown YMCA back in action at a new location

The YMCA of Columbia returned to full action Monday in a cozier new downtown location, a freshly-built two story building at the corner of Hampton and Bull streets.

The 20,000-square-foot building — which has less than half the space it occupied for more than a century at 1420 Sumter St. — is nonetheless state-of-the-art and will put the family-friendly “Y” at the forefront of healthy living and disease prevention for the 21st century, YMCA officials said.

“Did you know the downtown YMCA was one of the first 50 ‘Ys’ in the United States?” Williams asked during ribbon-cutting exercises Monday. “Since 1854, our emphasis has been on creating a community where people can come together (in time) of fellowship.”

During the mid-to-late 1800s, the Columbia YMCA was the “support system” of thousands of Columbia residents, Williams said, providing affordable housing, Bible study and recreation. In the 1900s, the Y adapted through peace and war to provide a sense of community, emotional support and healthy well-being, Williams said.

Through quality child-care, camps and sports programs for tens of thousands of children and healthier lifestyles for countless adults, Williams said, “The downtown Y’s contributions to this community are great.”

The new Y offers aerobic training and free weights at street level on Bull Street and Hampton Street including spin bikes, along with second-floor space for group exercise classes such Zumba, step and BODYPUMP and a yoga studio. The YMCA has 3,700 members downtown, but also has facilities at two other locations in Columbia, two locations in Irmo, and one each in Lexington and Orangeburg.

For the first time since 1911, the new facility offers onstreet parking – 40 available spaces – and also is compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Williams said, which will allow more seniors to access the building.

The building at 1420 Sumter St. was acquired last year by First Baptist Church for $2 million. The church said it would undertake a $4 million renovation of the building. Dubbed “Project: Next,” the church plan calls for gutting and remodeling the 1950s-era rear addition of the 1911 red brick building to be used by the congregation’s middle school, high school and college students.

“We will always be fond of the memories thousands have shared at 1420 Sumter Street,” Williams said, adding the “Y” must continue evolving to meet community needs.

The Columbia “Y” is in the final stages of a search for a new CEO, Williams said. The search should be wrapped up in 6 to 8 weeks.

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 6:08 PM.