Restoration Continues: Next Steps Unfold for Historic Wabash Y
The Renaissance Collaborative (TRC) is honored to receive a $105,000 grant award from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to support critical predevelopment and design work at the former historic Wabash YMCA, a national landmark and cornerstone of African American history, culture, and civic life in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
Founded in 1992, The Renaissance Collaborative has been the steward of the Wabash Y’s legacy for more than 30 years. TRC was formed to save this historic building through a partnership between four local, ecumenical churches (St. Thomas Episcopal, Apostolic Faith Church, Quinn Chapel AME, and St. Elizabeth Catholic Church) and TRC’s founding Executive Director, Patricia “Pat” Abrams. Together these partners undertook an ambitious $11 million capital campaign to restore and reopen the Wabash Y, partially converting the building’s residential space to provide supportive housing to formerly homeless adults. TRC’s adaptive reuse of the Wabash Y preserves the historical and architectural significance of the building, carrying forward its legacy of supporting those in need as they seek to find shelter, community, and purpose.
The Wabash Y is more than a building. Opened in 1913, it became a beacon for young Black men migrating from the South, a gathering place for scholars and athletes, and a hub where people could find vital resources and build community, organizing in times of rapid social, economic and political change. TRC was founded to prevent the Wabash Y’s demolition, and has since championed its transformative role in individuals’ lives and the wider community.
Sustaining a Legacy While Shaping a Future
Funding from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation will expand on construction projects in progress, supported through an ongoing 2022 African American Civil Rights grant, provided by the Historic Preservation Fund, as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.
To advance this work, and move us to the next phase of construction, this new grant will:
Support architectural and mechanical designs needed to complete remaining restoration, ensuring TRC can modernize the space as a community hub while honoring its legacy;
Allow TRC to hire a one-year Project Coordinator to coordinate logistics around restoration, community outreach, and future history education programming;
Fuel storytelling and new marketing initiatives with the support of a dedicated consultant, bringing TRC’s broader mission and the Wabash Y’s legacy into clearer focus.
This support comes at a pivotal time: in January, conservationists completed the restoration of the Wabash Y’s iconic W.E. Scott mural, a vivid and powerful piece of cultural art that once again welcomes all who enter. Alongside recent progress on permits, completion of pool engineering drawings, and other updates and upgrades to the building’s facade, windows, and mechanical systems, these milestones reflect not just preservation, but our commitment to the revival of the Wabash Y’s place in Bronzeville as a community hub.
Our Shared History
While the Wabash Y is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, the full breadth of its stories are still too often untold. This next phase of work will deepen TRC’s commitment to preserving and amplifying Black history through interactive arts, culture, and history education programming.
TRC’s developing history education program will include youth tours, exhibits, and curricula that share the Y’s role in Bronzeville’s civic rise, from hosting meetings of the mind and housing Olympic hopefuls to nurturing movements of faith, family, and freedom. The completion of our next phase of work will allow The Renaissance Collaborative to welcome the community further into this historic building, inviting individuals and local organizations to share our space. By connecting the past to the present, these efforts will create new pathways for learning, community building and leadership.
“Our vision is for this work to expand the Wabash Y’s role as a cultural and civic anchor for Bronzeville,” said Oji Eggleston, Executive Director of TRC. “Thanks to The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation’s support, we’re taking another step toward reopening these historic doors to the community, and to the future.”
A Project Rooted in Community
The Wabash Y sits at the heart of TRC’s mission: to promote self-sufficiency through supportive housing, employment, and education. Its full reopening as a community hub with active gathering spaces, health and recreation areas, and cultural programming is a central part of how TRC envisions a more equitable, connected South Side.
The grant will also support a rebranding effort that unifies TRC’s services with its landmark stewardship, helping communicate a stronger, clearer identity to partners, residents, and funders alike.
We are eternally grateful to the community for its support as we move forward to the next phase of construction, advancing us toward our goal to reopen this landmark institution to the public.
TRC extends its deep thanks to The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for this generous investment in capacity-building, cultural preservation, and long-term impact.
For media inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Startz at info@trcwabash.org or 773-924-9270 ext. 104.
The Renaissance Collaborative, Inc. (TRC) is pausing its monthly guided historical tours during the restoration. The Wabash Y will return for a third year as an Open House Chicago host site this October, stay tuned as we share more details this Fall.
Ongoing research is being conducted on the Wabash Y’s history. To share your own stories and photos of the Wabash Y to add to the archival collection, contact Tara Balcerzak at tbalcerzak@trcwabash.org or (773) 924-9270 ext. 330.