Ozarks Regional YMCA looks to sell downtown Springfield property for $4.5 million

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read
The Ozarks Regional YMCA is listing the building that houses the G. Pearson Ward YMCA in downtown Springfield for sale at $4.5 million. ORYMCA is working with Zamora Real Estate throughout the process.
The Ozarks Regional YMCA is listing the building that houses the G. Pearson Ward YMCA in downtown Springfield for sale at $4.5 million. ORYMCA is working with Zamora Real Estate throughout the process.

The Ozarks Regional YMCA is looking to sell the building that houses the G. Pearson Ward YMCA, located at 417 S. Jefferson Ave. in downtown Springfield.

The 62,000 square foot space is for sale at $4.5 million, according to Gerald Zamora of Zamora Real Estate, who ORYMCA is working with throughout the process.

Zamora told the News-Leader on Thursday that ORYMCA is looking for a place to relocate but this decision has not been finalized.

An ORYMCA spokesperson did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment for this report.

Springfield TV station KOLR10 reported that the YMCA sent a letter to members of the downtown Springfield location explaining that the decision to sell the building was due to declining membership usage and increasing costs of maintaining the building.

Serving the community for more than 100 years

According to the Springfield-Greene County Library District, the building which houses the current downtown YMCA was built in 1913 after the original was destroyed by a fire in 1911. This gym, which cost $100,000 to build, opened to the public in September 1913.

In 1982, the YMCA became the Springfield Family Y, after the Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association merged. Five years later, the building was renamed to G. Pearson Ward YMCA after Springfield broadcast executive Granville Pearson Ward.

The Ozarks Regional YMCA is listing the building that houses the G. Pearson Ward YMCA in downtown Springfield for sale at $4.5 million. ORYMCA is working with Zamora Real Estate throughout the process. Ward was involved with the ORYMCA for over 50 years, both as a child member and board member.
The Ozarks Regional YMCA is listing the building that houses the G. Pearson Ward YMCA in downtown Springfield for sale at $4.5 million. ORYMCA is working with Zamora Real Estate throughout the process. Ward was involved with the ORYMCA for over 50 years, both as a child member and board member.

Ward — who managed KKTS-AM and FM, KTTS-TV, and KOLR-TV — was involved with the ORYMCA for more than 50 years, according to previous News-Leader reporting. He was a member when he first moved to Springfield in 1915 from Baltimore and later a board member.

The building was later remodeled in 1996 for the first time since 1913.

Today, the G. Pearson Ward YMCA features a gym, aerobics center, fitness center, handball and racquetball courts, and indoor running track.

Besides the G. Pearson Ward, ORYMCA has six other locations:

  • Lebanon Family YMCA at 500 E. Elm St. in Lebanon

  • Dallas County Area YMCA at 932 Main St. in Buffalo

  • Pat Jones YMCA at 1901 E. Republic Road in Springfield

  • Monett Area YMCA at 115 S. Lincoln Ave. #2367 in Monett

  • Cassville YMCA at 408 State Highway 248 in Cassville

  • Ozark Mountain Family YMCA at 175-A Industrial Park Drive in Hollister

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozarks Regional YMCA seeking to sell downtown Springfield property