Paseo YMCA explained

Paseo YMCA
Location:Kansas City, Missouri
Coordinates:39.0903°N -94.5647°W
Built:1914
Architect:Charles Ashley Smith
Architecture:Colonial Revival
Added:September 9, 1991
Mpsub:18th and Vine Area of Kansas City MPS
Refnum:91001151

The Paseo YMCA is a U.S. historic YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri.

History

The Paseo YMCA opened in 1914, when Julius Rosenwald encouraged Kansas Citians to raise $80,000 toward building a new YMCA.[1] The architect of the Paseo YMCA was local architect Charles A. Smith.

In 1920 eight independent black baseball team owners met to form what would become the Negro National League.[2]

The facility closed in the 1970s.

Museum renovations

In 2006, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum spearheaded an effort called "Thanks a Million Buck" to renovate the building and convert it to a research center and museum. The goal to raise a million dollars was quickly reached when John "Buck" O'Neil died in October 2006.[2] The YMCA was slated to re-open as the Buck O'Neil Education Research Center in 2007. However, that plan never came to fruition.

Citing a need for expanded museum space, the organization renewed the proposal to renovate and expand the facility on May 2, 2023, as a part of the "Pitch for the Future" campaign.[3] Organizers now hope for a 2028 opening.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15727396.htm OLD PASEO YMCA | Turning it into a tribute will take money, work
  2. http://www.nlbm.com/buck/ThanksBuckRelease_8-4-06.pdf Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Announces “Thanks a Million Buck” Grassroots Campaign to Raise Funds For the Buck O’Neil Education & Research Center
  3. Web site: 2023-05-02 . Kansas City's Negro Leagues Museum plans to build new home . 2023-05-02 . FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV News, Weather, Sports . en-US.