History

The Summit Area YMCA has grown from modest beginnings on August 1, 1886, into three branches serving seven area towns. On that summer day, the Summit Area YMCA was a 300-square-foot space on Broad Street. Three years later, the YMCA was relocated to Springfield Avenue, just one block from the train station. In 1893, the YMCA was still on the move, moving into a new building at 399 Springfield with amenities such as a gymnasium, a finished parlor, a reading room, a 300-seat lecture hall and two bowling alleys.

The Summit Area YMCA continued to grow and, in 1912, moved to its current address at 67 Maple Avenue. At the time, the building could accommodate 500 members and had dormitories for 99 travelers.

Over the next eight decades, the Summit Y developed several programs still in existence today: Camp Cannundus, the Youth Soccer Association, the Black Achievers Program, the Leaders' Club, day camps, aftercare and other family-oriented programs that Y members enjoy today.

In 1957, the Summit YMCA was renovated, and a 25-yard swimming pool was added, which expanded the Y's service to the community to include swimming and lifesaving classes, which gave the fledgling Summit Seals swim team a home.

Thirty years later, the YMCA underwent another renovation that expanded the health and fitness center. By 1992, membership had grown to 6,000. In 1995, the Berkeley Heights branch opened, which expanded the Summit Y's reach and facilities. Three years later, the Springfield YMCA opened, comprising the final third of the Summit Area YMCA. In 1999, the Summit branch completed another expansion and renovation and membership has continued to grow since then.

The Summit Area YMCA has come a long way since the 300-square-feet in a single location. Today, the three branches are a source of fitness and wellness for 15,000 members. Over the past 116 years, the Summit Area YMCA has grown with its area communities and continues on its mission of providing facilities and programs still based in those modest beginnings in 1886.