A look at the Centre Avenue YMCA’s history in the Hill District

The Centre Avenue YMCA has been an integral part of black history in Pittsburgh for nearly a century.

Among the region’s only social, recreational and cultural facilities for African Americans from the 1920s-1950s, the YMCA welcomed famous jazz musicians, Pullman porters who needed a room in town and the University of Pittsburgh’s first African American students. It also provided young men with dormitories, recreational facilities, a safe place for political discussions, educational support and groundbreaking sports teams.

On Feb. 14, the building turns another chapter, kicking off a 10-month, $7.1 million renovation to provide improved low-income housing in the Hill District.

– Kevin Bolding, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh