Chinatown YMCA Capital Project

Learn more about the Chinatown YMCA
programs and services.

 View of crane from the church.

 View from ping pong room to gym.

New pool roof with rebar accents.

San Francisco's top priority

Since its founding in 1911, the Chinatown YMCA has been a major presence in San Francisco and an anchor in the Chinese-American Community.

The YMCA’s focus is and always has been leadership training, educational support, health through fitness, and access to the natural world beyond the teeming Chinatown neighborhood. The Chinatown YMCA strives to emphasize character, values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility with a special focus on youth development. Although deeply rooted in the Chinatown community, the YMCA continues to attract youth and families throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.

In 1926, the Chinatown YMCA was built on Sacramento Street in San Francisco. Since that time, the Chinatown YMCA has produced generations of local leaders who have influenced the Chinatown community as well as greater San Francisco and the Bay Area.

A legacy of multi-generational leadership, broad-based community engagement, and neighborhood presence has made the YMCA an anchor institution in Chinatown. However, for many years, the current facility has needed significant renovation to continue to provide quality programming in the neighborhood.

Looking to the future, the complete renovation of the historic facility will feature:

  • A 95% increase in program space, from 21,0000 sq. ft. to 41,000 sq. ft.,
  • Seismic and ADA-accessibility upgrades,
  • New construction of a 3-story addition,
  • A demonstration kitchen and nutrition center,
  • Expanded health and fitness center with men’s, women’s, and family locker rooms,
  • and 8 multi-purpose community spaces to serve as classrooms or for members to use at their leisure.

This increased capacity will more than double participation from previous levels to reach 4,000 youth and other residents.

The return of a full, modern YMCA facility to Chinatown will fulfill the dream of thousands of residents and members of this extraordinary part of the City -- a tightly-knit, tightly-packed community that is in need of every bit of space, programming and support the YMCA can offer.