RACINE — Photos of old friends. Forgotten children’s toys. Shattered glass. An empty swimming pool. A swastika graffitied on a wall. A forgotten bottle of conditioner, pink T-shirt and sneakers in rusty lockers. Spilled paint. A second place tennis trophy.
Thousands of kids and families made the lakefront YMCA in Downtown Racine a second home from 1960 to 2019. Now, the building is continuing to dilapidate in plain sight, with all those items among the piles of refuse gathering dust inside.
Mike Nichols of Kenosha, a self-described “urban explorer and photographer,” wandered through the former YMCA’s halls in October, entering through an unsecured door and documenting with his iPhone what remains of a building that holds so many memories.
“Every place has bad parts. I feel like, I just wish somebody could buy it and redo it,” Nichols said of the lakefront YMCA. “It’s just sitting there falling apart.”
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According to a written statement from the Racine Family YMCA, the property is on the market for sale. The organization also uses the building for storage.
The statement indicated the Racine Family YMCA is working with the City of Racine “to ensure that future development of the site adds to the vibrancy of downtown Racine.”
The process took longer than anticipated — in part due to the pandemic, the statement indicated.
The site has been the target of “forced entry and vandalism.” The organization is working with local law enforcement for ways to provide security until a buyer is found for the property.
The organization has taken steps to maintain the exterior with assistance from the Choice Pre-Apprenticeship program, whose participants assist in maintaining the exterior until such a time as the building has a new owner.
First Choice is a workforce development initiative that prepares women and minorities for work in the construction industry through hands-on and classroom instruction
The program partners with government agencies and area construction firms to assist program graduates in finding employment.
The lakefront Y, 725 Lake Ave., closed forever in summer 2019. It was announced then that the YMCA wanted to sell the building, but that never came to fruition; 725 Lake Ave. is still owned by the Young Mens Christian Association of Racine, Racine County property records show.
There was discussion of a new YMCA for the downtown being built, but nothing has come to fruition.
According to a City of Racine spokesperson, two separate development teams have had talks with the city about redeveloping the site, but no complete proposals have even been made. “While no party has submitted a complete proposal or obtained site control, we remain encouraged and excited that private developers continue to look at the site,” the city said in a statement.
As the third winter since the YMCA closed sets in, its windows remain shattered, and its halls empty.
Editor’s note: The Journal Times does not condone trespassing into private property. Entry should only be done with property owner’s permission. Trespassers can face prosecution.
Urban exploration: More than 60 photos of Downtown Racine’s former YMCA, dilapidating in plain sight
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
A painted sign at the former Downtown Racine YMCA states: “Closed for Repairs.”
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
A photo collage on a wall inside the ex-YMCA in Downtown Racine remains three years after the building closed for good.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Steps leading up to the lakefront YMCA, 725 Lake Ave., Racine, are seen in October.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Many of the glass panes on the exterior of and within the former lakefront YMCA in Racine are now shattered.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
An old gym at the now closed Racine YMCA has experienced significant vandalism in recent years.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
nicholas
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Discarded, unidentified photographs were left behind at the lakefront YMCA, 725 Lake Ave., when it closed in 2019.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Red paint spilled by vandals stains the left wall of this hallway inside the former Lakefront YMCA, 725 Lake Ave.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
A pool enjoyed by generations of Racinians sits empty.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
The former lakefront YMCA has experienced a significant amount of vandalism since it closed.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
The old swimming pool at the former Racine YMCA sits empty inside the abandoned building.
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
Courtesy of Mike Nichols
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