Beaumont Y.M.C.A.
934 Calder St., Beaumont, TXBuilt during Beaumont's second boom period, the YMCA building represents a good example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style which dominated much of Beaumont's architecture during the late 1920's and early 1930's. The structure was built by one of the city's most prominent civic organizations, the YMCA, and has served as an important social center in Beaumont for over fifty years.
Since the early 1900s, the development of Beaumont in general and the YMCA in particular has depended almost exclusively on the drilling, refinement, and shipment of oil. With Spindletop's discovery in 1901, the small town of Beaumont suddenly mushroomed in population, and a great deal of vice and corruption followed this boom. Many of the town's leading citizens believed. the need existed for a stable social organization to help build "spirit, mind, and body," and, the Beaumont branch of the Young Men's Christian Association was formed in 1901. Donations from private citizens were solicited to erect a building for the organization, and by 1903, the first YMCA building was constructed.
The first twenty years of the YMCA proved very successful, and membership steadily increased. By the mid-1920s, Beaumont experienced a second oil boom. The old YMCA building proved too small for the increased demand, and soon efforts were begun to raise money for a new facility.
In 1928 the present YMCA building was constructed in a new subdivision about ten blocks west of the downtown commercial district. The four-story brick structure displayed a strong influence from Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, which had become a popular style in Beaumont at that time. The new facility housed a gymnasium, swimming pool, dormitory rooms, and numerous conference rooms. An additional wing was constructed in 1930 just west of the main building and was built from money donated by Dr. J. W. Garth. This section housed the Garth Friendship Club, which was founded by Dr. Garth as an "exclusive" club for newspaper boys and carriers. When this group disbanded in 1945, the wing was converted into an exercise room.
Since its completion, the YMCA building has housed one of the city's most dynamic and community-oriented institutions. Many of Beaumont's leading citizens have joined the association and participated in its wide range of programs. Numerous sub-branches have been established throughout the city, but the "Downtown Y" at 934 Calder continues to be an important social center in Beaumont.
Bibliography
S.P.A.R.E. Beaumont, Vol. I. Bell, Klein, and Hofmann, January 1977.
Filed at Texas Historical Commission
Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge, Massachusetts: M. I. T. Press, 1969.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.