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YMCA COLLECTION PROCESSED
by Tom Hollowak

The Old Central YMCA building on Charles and Saratoga Streets. is depicted in the masthead of the organizations Weekly Bulletin. After the YMCA departed in 1908, the structure became an office building and now contains rental apartments.

Tom Hollowak, head of Special Collections, recently completed the processing of Young Men's Christian Association of Central Maryland (YMCA) Collection, covering the years 1835 to 1976. The holdings consist of 111 boxes of documents that include: annual reports, minutes, correspondence, membership books, financial records, newspaper clippings, photographs and publications.

The processing of the collection began last summer and entailed going through every folder and box to determine what should be retained or discarded, then doing minor preservation (removing all paper clips, staples, rubber bands, tape, etc. that cause damage to the contents). Once these items were removed, the documents were re-foldered in acid-free folders and organized by series. Finally a collection guide was prepared and put online.

The 1908 Central YMCA building at Cathedral and Franklin Streets. now houses Baltimore International College's Dublin Hall and the Mt. Vernon Hotel.

The YMCA Collection was used by Jessica Elfenbein, director of the undergraduate in Community Studies and Civic Engagement and the Center for Regional & Baltimore Studies (CRABS) in the writing of her doctorial thesis, that was published by the University Press of Florida in 2001 as, The Making of a Modern City: Philanthropy, Civic Culture, and the Baltimore YMCA . The collection relates to the activities of CSCE and CRABS.

CSCE, an interdisciplinary undergraduate major, has as its foundation the study of historical and contemporary perspectives on nonprofit action, philanthropy, citizenship and democracy. Fostering the study, development and enhancement of community with a particular focus on Central Maryland, the CSCE major partners students with nonprofit organizations. Supporting this partnership, CRABS serves as custodian of Baltimore's history and culture, especially as it relates to community making and civic activity. CRABS allows central Maryland nonprofits and associated groups and individuals through agreements with the UB Educational Foundation, to deposit their archival collections in the Special Collections in Langsdale Library. Here they are available to CSCE faculty and students as well as other researchers.

The first structure in the United States designed exclusively for the YMCA, this building stood for a century before being destroyed for the proposed extension of I-70 into the city.

Among the CRABS collections directly related to the YMCA are: the Rev. Chester L. Wickwire Papers Collection (Wickwire was YMCA chaplain at the Johns Hopkins University’s Levering Hall), the Maryland Council of Churches Collection and the Movement Against Destruction Collection (the organization opposed to I-70 coming through the center of Baltimore; the 1859 West Baltimore YMCA building was torn down to make way for the highway).

The Special Collections in Langsdale Library are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. The department is located on Langsdale's fourth floor (LL 408). A complete list of collection holdings is available along with on-line collection guides. For further information contact Tom Hollowak.

Physical Director Thomas Cornelius with the 1898 Central YMCA Track and field team.

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