Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Walnut Street YMCA

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, April 24, 2016

1. Walnut Street YMCA Marker

Inscription. Walnut Street YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) was designed by Wilmington architect G. Morris Whitehead II as a community center for the city's African American population. Construction began on the three-story structure in 1939 and the building was dedicated in September 1940. A gift from Mr. and Mrs. H. Fletcher Brown funded both the 1939 construction and a maintenance trust fund. The finished site featured a fully equipped gymnasium, auditorium, pool, library, bowling alleys, and billiard room. The facility housed both the YMCA and the YWCA, and provided meeting space for organizations like the Human Rights League of Delaware and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). A 1941 meeting sponsored by the National Negro Congress to support an equal rights bill for Delaware African Americans was held here; speakers included John P. Davis of the Negro Congress, and Louis L. Redding, Delaware's first African American attorney. The Walnut Street YMCA has continued as a hub for Delaware's African American community because of its proximity to Wilmington's Eastside neighborhood. In 1998,

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the original Walnut Street YMCA was demolished to build a new YMCA on the same site. The tower and relief friezes, depicting Marian Anderson, Booker T. Washington, and Dr. George Washington Carver, are the only original 1939 remnants used in the new building.

Erected 2015 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number NC-215.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. In addition, it is included in the Delaware Public Archives series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1939.

Location. 39° 44.661′ N, 75° 32.687′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is at the intersection of East 10th Street and Walnut Street on East 10th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 308 E 10th St, Wilmington DE 19801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

Walnut Street YMCA image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, April 24, 2016

2. Walnut Street YMCA

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Knotty Pine Restaurant (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Louis Lorenzo Redding, Esq. (about 400 feet away); Saint Joseph Church (about 400 feet away); The Monday Club (about 500 feet away); Ezion Methodist Episcopal Church (about 500 feet away); Holocaust (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Gravesite of Bishop Peter Spencer (1779-1843) and His Devoted Wife, Annes (about 800 feet away); Ezion-Mount Carmel United Methodist Church (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Gravesite of Bishop Peter Spencer (1779-1843) and His Devoted Wife, Annes (was about 800 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 834 times since then and 27 times this year. Last updated on September 29, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 25, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.