{"nrhp_refnum":"83001676","name":"Young Men's Christian Association Central Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"45 W. Mohawk St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.88759436500004,"lon":-78.87559884699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ten-story steel-frame YMCA building at 31 Genesee/45 West Mohawk Street in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, built 1901-1902 and designed by Green and Wicks. It is clad in tan brick with white sandstone trim and a gray granite base.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the building is architecturally and historically significant as the work of one of Buffalo's most prominent turn-of-the-century firms, chosen through a competition judged by critic A. D. F. Hamlin. Its tower was sited to dominate a triangular intersection on one of the avenues radiating from Niagara Square, and it was among the first tall buildings downtown. It was also among the first YMCA buildings to offer extensive lodging and the first to include a spa.","narrative":"Rising ten stories at the corner of Genesee and Mohawk streets in Buffalo, this former YMCA headquarters was built in 1901-1902 for the second oldest YMCA chapter in the United States. Green and Wicks won a local design competition judged by the critic A. D. F. Hamlin, and produced an English-Flemish Renaissance building of tan brick with white sandstone trim on a granite base. Its tower, bent facade and entrance were shaped to dominate the triangular space formed by the city's radial street plan. The building held a lobby, classrooms, an auditorium, a pool, two gymnasiums and a boys' department, and its tower held more than sixty lodging rooms and a top-floor restaurant. It also housed the first spa in any YMCA building, a cafe meant to draw young men away from taverns. The interior has been largely lost and the building has been vacant since 1978, but the exterior remains largely intact, though the Convention Center has altered its setting.","period_of_significance":"1901-1902","architect_builder":"Green and Wicks, architects","architectural_style":"English-Flemish Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Vacant since 1978; the interior has been heavily altered, though the exterior keeps most of its original appearance. Owned by the City of Buffalo and in deteriorated condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.391013-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/83001676.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001676/5fa6824a3e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001676/5fa6824a3e-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_Men%27s_Christian_Association_Central_Building.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_Men%27s_Christian_Association_Central_Building.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317745","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA_Central_Building_(Buffalo,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8058292"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/young-mens-christian-association-central-building-83001676/"}