Downtown YMCA to close after Nov. 25 following sale of property

By Sasha Richie

The T. Boone Pickens YMCA in downtown Dallas will officially close after Nov. 25, according to an internal email to employees from YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas president and CEO Curt Hazelbaker.

The closing comes after a controversial sale process. Y leadership announced Friday that it was officially under contract to sell the Ross Avenue and Akard Street location. They did not disclose the buyers nor the price, but the building has been estimated to be worth around $12 million.

Sale of the building, first put on the market in 2019 and then again in 2021, was originally predicated on finding a new downtown location to move into. However, in early 2023, Y leadership made the decision to go ahead with a sale without securing a new location. This decision angered members of the downtown Y’s local board, who didn’t find out about the change until a buyer was already found.

The 211,000-square-foot building has been used by the Y since 1983 but was originally built 83 years ago. Y leadership says the sale is necessary due to the cost of repairs, three quarters of which are structural. The building has not been renovated since 2009.

Hazelbaker wrote that Y leadership was still working with realtors to “guide us through the process of locating another building in the Downtown/Uptown area for the future.” The Y does not have a timeline on when a new location could be opened.

The email let employees know they will be put in new roles at other YMCA locations.

Once the downtown YMCA closes, it will be the first time since 1885 that the YMCA does not have a physical presence in downtown Dallas. The close is two days after the Y’s annual Turkey Trot, which the downtown location has historically played a large role in putting on.

Y leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Dallas Morning News.

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.