{"nrhp_refnum":"92000886","name":"Lorain YMCA Building","other_names":["USS/Kobe Steel Company Services Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of E. 28th St. and Pearl Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lorain","county":"Lorain County","state":"OH","lat":41.446570456000075,"lon":-82.13772755299993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-07-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick YMCA building on East 28th Street in Lorain, Ohio, reconstructed in 1924 after a 1920 fire, next to the steel mill complex. It was designed by Paul A. Rissman and later served as the USS/Kobe Steel Company Services Building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion A in social history as an example of the Progressive-era YMCA effort to meet the social and moral needs of industrial workers. It is closely tied to the growth of Lorain's steel industry and the acculturation of immigrant steel workers. It was one of the few industrial-association YMCA facilities in Ohio outside major cities.","narrative":"Built in 1924 on East 28th Street in Lorain, Ohio, this three-story brick building replaced an earlier YMCA that was devastated by fire in 1920. The reconstruction cost $240,000, with National Tube contributing $150,000 and the remainder raised locally. Its Second Renaissance Revival design includes limestone trim, a balustraded parapet, and two elaborate entrances once used by men and by boys. Inside were a large swimming pool, two gymnasiums, and hotel rooms on the upper floors. The YMCA served workers of the nearby steel mills, offering recreation and education and helping immigrant employees adjust to life in the city. Lorain's dependence on a single industry created an unusually strong link between the mills and the Y. After a new YMCA opened on the west side in 1970, the older building closed and was remodeled as offices for the steel company. The original pool and one gymnasium survive.","period_of_significance":"1924-1942","architect_builder":"Rissman, Paul A.","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance (described in the text as Second Renaissance Revival)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Used as offices (Services Building of USS/Kobe Steel Company) since the old YMCA closed in the 1970s; the swimming pool is intact but no longer in use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.827771-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/92000886.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000886/603ba128f6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000886/603ba128f6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lorain_YMCA_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lorain_YMCA_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989885","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138511998"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/lorain-county/lorain-ymca-building-92000886/"}