The story of the Emerson Street Y is closely tied to the larger history of the Evanston YMCA—now McGaw YMCA—which was founded on November 17, 1885, as a space for young white men with a mission to promote “mental, moral, physical, and social welfare.” Its first home was Jennings Hall in the Rink Building, later moving to 1576 Sherman Avenue (1893) and then 1611 Orrington Avenue (1898). This facility became known as the Central Y.

By the early 20th century, the Evanston YMCA had grown into several neighborhood branches, but this expansion reflected—and reinforced—the racial segregation of the era. In 1911, the North End YMCA Branch opened in the Central Street (later Covenant) Methodist Church and was later renamed the Central Branch.  A new building at Maple Avenue and Grove Street—the current site of McGaw YMCA—opened in 1930 as the Grove Street Branch YMCA. At the time, these branches served only to white residents, with limited weekend access to the Central Y’s gym and pool for white servicemen.

It was against this backdrop of exclusion that Rev. James Rayford Talley took action. In 1908, he petitioned the Evanston YMCA’s leadership to allow Black youth to participate in its programs. When his request was denied, Talley joined with other local leaders and volunteers to organize activities for young Black men. The gatherings first took place behind Tim Harland’s blacksmith shop off West Railroad (now Green Bay Road) and Foster Street. 

Their efforts soon gained crucial support from Evanston philanthropist Dr. Dwight J. Harris and William A. Hunton, International Secretary of Colored YMCA Work. Together, they lay the foundation for what would become the Emerson Street Branch YMCA. Far more than a substitute, the Emerson Street Y emerged as a powerful center of community, culture, and connection, providing opportunities for fitness, youth development, and civic engagement that were systematically denied elsewhere in the city.

Founding the Emerson Street Y

By 1909, plans were underway to establish the Emerson Street Branch YMCA in Evanston’s 5th Ward. Harris championed Talley's vision and insisted that the city needed a separate branch of the YMCA to serve Black Evanstonians. That year, Harris and Hunton addressed 70 young African American men, announcing plans to found what became the Emerson Street Branch YMCA. A development committee began to raise funds for this branch. In 1911, a lot of land was purchased on 1014-1016 Emerson Street between Maple and East Railroad. In February 1913, Talley helped lay the Emerson Street YMCA cornerstone, and by July, the completed building was dedicated in front of an audience of 450, with hundreds more waiting outside to join the celebration.

The Emerson Street YMCA opened its doors on July 5, 1914, and would serve as a beloved hub for social and civic life for Black Evanstonians for 60 years. Over the decades, the Emerson Street Y programs would include something for everyone, from afterschool and summer programs to family events, chess matches, dances, musical concerts, team sports, clubs, and swim lessons. In 1926, the Emerson Street YMCA held its first annual YMCA Circus, and a year later, held its first annual banquet, which continued to be a popular event into the 1950s.

In 1929, the Emerson Street Branch YMCA was expanded, doubling the size of the original building and adding a new swimming pool that was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Dwight Harris, a longtime benefactor of the Emerson Street Y. The Emerson Street Y was the only location for short-term stays for Black men visiting in Evanston. Noted guests included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. By 1929, the Emerson Y expanded its housing program to include 19 dorm rooms with a total of 22 beds for Black men who were students at Northwestern University. Many Black male students lived in these rooms over the next several decades, until Northwestern desegregated its dormitories in the 1960s.

In 1930, Emerson Street Y held its first ETHS Prom for African American students who were not permitted to attend the segregated prom sponsored by Evanston Township High School (ETHS). Seventeen-year-old Nat Cole (who had not yet received the nickname “King”) and his orchestra performed at the Emerson Street Y ETHS Prom in June 1935.

As the country entered a deep economic depression in the 1930s, the Emerson Street Y provided free memberships to men who were suddenly unemployed, gave free lodgings to 650 men, and, along with the Grove Street Branch, provided counseling sessions for boys, men, and families. In 1942, the Grove Street and Emerson Street YMCAs served the armed forces as USO Centers, offering free Y memberships for discharged service men and women. In 1951, the Mary E. Johnson Day Nursery, a child care center for children of working parents, moved from its former location at a local church to the Emerson Street YMCA.

In 1956, Evanston YMCA established an interracial committee to discuss plans for desegregation of the Y’s facilities. In 1963, the Grove Street Branch YMCA integrated its facilities following the Y-USA’s desegregation efforts across the country. While this merge symbolized an end to formal segregation within the Y, it also led to the eventual closing of the Emerson Street Branch Y in 1969, which left a sense of profound loss for Black people in Evanston who built a deep sense of community at Emerson Street. The beloved building was eventually sold and then demolished in 1980.

While Evanston prides itself on being a racially and ethnically diverse city, that diversity remains unevenly distributed across neighborhoods, reflecting the lasting impact of the social, systemic, and structural factors that control access to services and resources. Against this backdrop, the McGaw YMCA continues to evolve, honoring its complex past while striving to provide equitable access to programs and services that transform lives, build connections, and create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.