Broadway House / Milton YMCA

Broadway House, also, Milton YMCA. Capitol Theater Tribute. , A major consideration following the Great Milton Fire of 1880 was the housing of out-of-town construction workers to rebuild Milton. Therefore, reconstruction of the town's hotels was a top priority, and it is said that the Broadway House was the first to be rushed to completion. Now a part of the YMCA complex, the historic building is located at the corner of Bound Avenue and Broadway. The three-story hotel had forty-two guestrooms, a restaurant, and a saloon/gentlemen's bar. There was a liquor store in the basement with an entrance at the front of the building. , Milton's Young Men's Christian Association was founded on May 14, 1878. The YMCA occupied several rental spaces in the downtown. In 1906, the YMCA owned its first property at 41 Broadway, the present site of the Lewis and Danzig accounting firm. It had a gymnasium and bowling lanes on the lower level. This building is now clearly visible from Arch Street, southwest of St. John's United Church of Christ. , In 1921, the YMCA purchased the Broadway House Hotel across the street. The gymnasium and pool complex to the rear of the building were added in 1933 at a cost of $60,000, which included extensive renovations to the landmark hotel building. Nearly one-third of the original hotel was razed to accommodate the new addition. , [photo captions] , . Above and below , the YMCA at 41 Broadway, across the street from the present Y building., . 1965 - a remodeling celebration at the Y Teen Center. From left, Robert Izer, program director, Abe Berman, Carol McNeer, and Charles Beaverson, YMCA director. The center opened in 1955 and closed in 1972. Its predecessor was the famed Teen Canteen, located above Hoch's restaurant on South Front Street, which operated from 1945 to 1955., . 1992 - it was resurrected by Y Board members who were former Y Teen Center participants, including George Venios, Peanut Woland, Jan Clemens, Lynn Mabus, and Joni Powell. Along with many other caring volunteers, they brought the program back to life and received national acclaim from the YMCA for their efforts in creating the TGIF and Jive programs.