The YMCA began in rented quarters on Main Street in 1886. In 1907, the Y moved to its first permanent home at the corner of Fannin and McKinney. It was this site where the YMCA was housed for the next 34 years. From this location the YMCA taught thousands of Houston boys to swim, provided dormitory housing for young men coming to Houston to seek fortune, began formal adult education, and founded South Texas Junior College and South Texas School of Law. To add to the list of phenomenal programs and services, the Y also began serving young men in the military that traveled through Houston.

 

The YMCA story in the greater Houston area is one of legendary service to a countless number of families served over many generations. They came by the hundreds of thousands, nearly 125 years later the YMCA of the Greater Houston Area is serving more than 500,000 boys and girls, men and women each year from hundreds of sites. The YMCA will continue to grow and serve Houston's diverse communities for generations to come.