The Rockefeller family constructed the Bayonne YMCA in 1921, differing somewhat from the conventional YMCA.
“This was an industrial YMCA,” said Will Lawson, executive director of facilities for the YMCA. It’s one of the few in the country that’s left.
The Rockefeller family opened its original Standard Oil refineries here in Bayonne and had used the YMCA located on Avenue E near East 22nd Street as a training facility and home for some of its employees. In those days, the third floor served as a dormitory and the second floor was reserved for classrooms.
Later, after Standard Oil reduced and eliminated its operations in Bayonne, the YMCA served the general population, serving as affordable housing for low-income earning men, and other men who needed living facilities here in Bayonne.
The $7.1 million renovation was completed in June, expanding the facility and upgrading its operations.
Regan Development Co. of New York was the general contractor. This company had previously transformed the Maidenform building downtown into a senior citizen home.
“Some of the rooms were in horrible condition,” Lawson said. “We had planned to do the work, to modify and resize the rooms. The mayor [Joseph Doria] suggested we talk to Susan Mearnes at the county for her direction.”
Mearnes, Hudson County’s director of housing and community development, recommended using a program called “HOME Investment Partnerships Program,” which provides funds that help expand the supply of safe, sanitary and affordable housing to low- and very low-income families. Bayonne was a participating municipality in the program. The HOME fund gave the YMCA $2.8 million, and this was combined with a few hundred thousand dollars of Community Development Block Grant funds, $2.3 million from Department of Community Affairs’ funds, and a private mortgage by the YMCA board for $1.2 million.
“None of this money was used for the health club,” Lawson said, referring to one of the many other community programs that the YMCA offers. Although he did note that the health club in the basement benefited from the upgrade in various systems, such as the central air conditioning and heating system.
To qualify for the funding, 80 percent of the rooms must be offered to people who meet the income requirements. Most of the residents here earn under $22,000 per year, and pay $92.30 per week.
Five or six of the residences are market rate, and the YMCA also acts as an official disaster shelter for the city.
It was a massive project
A few additional problems arose during the initial work such as the discovery that some sections of building needed new roofs. The outside of the building needed some work, too. This involved installation of new windows, new coping and lintels. Since the brick facing had been repointed earlier, most of the work on the brick involved cleaning.
Inside, the rooms were rebuilt to become more uniform in size. Smoke detectors and sprinklers were installed. New furniture was provided. The common bathrooms were upgraded and painted. An elevator was installed, which – combined with the ramp along the side of the building – made the facility wheelchair accessible for the first time.
The renovation expanded the number of residences from 79 to 109, Lawson said.
While work on the third floor was reasonably uncomplicated, the second floor was a challenge for a number of reasons.
Because of the original design, many of the original rooms were not meant for the single residence occupancy the YMCA needed; this meant massive reconstruction to some sections – especially the second floor.
This, according to Lawson, had some curious side effects. Some of the largest rooms had fireplaces built into them. Rather than go through the increased expense of taking them out, the contractors divided the rooms and left the fireplaces. The result is a few small rooms in which one wall is dominated by a fireplace.
A few surprises turned up during demolition, such as when the crews took down a wall only to find that it contained an old-fashioned oak room divider some previous renovation had walled up rather than removed.
Many other programs, too
Although Lawson said the residential rentals are the “financial life blood” of the building, the YMCA offers other services to residents throughout the community. The interior of the building’s first floor and basement is a hive of nearly constant activity that includes a swimming pool, exercise machines, Jacuzzi, steam room, separate locker room facilities for men and women, indoor racquetball courts, indoor basketball courts, even an indoor running track.
The health club is an extremely popular venture with a membership of about 1,600. This is partly due to the low yearly membership fee and variety of discount packages, and the fact that people are not penalized for dropping out the way they might be in more commercial establishments, Lawson said.
The health club has wide hours, from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
The health club and other facilities also have seen upgrades through the YMCA’s own funding, such as improvements to the locker rooms where lockers were painted and rugs replaced with a different, more hygienic flooring. Work in other areas of the facility is still underway, such as replacing the doors in areas where various children’s programs are held.
Lawson, along with YMCA Board of Directors Vice Chairman Joseph Tagliareni, Executive Director Peg Keohane and others, keep a close eye on operations and needs at the facility.
“Joe Tagliareni is up here everyday,” Lawson said.
But the YMCA board members all take an active role in making sure the programs are working well.
Among the many operations ongoing at the YMCA is a full-day daycare program for pre-kindergarten aged kids and a before- and after-school program for other ages. The YMCA transports kids from its facilities to school by bus, then brings them back after school, allowing working parents to drop kids off before work and pick them up after work.
The YMCA also has partnered with the Bayonne Board of Education to provide a teen center three or four nights per week, where teens can keep busy.
The YMCA also provides a summer camp for younger kids.
“We’re trying to provide programs we think residents in Bayonne need,” Lawson said.