Phelps County Bank finalizes purchase of downtown YMCA, will allow facility use this summer

Andrew Sullender, Springfield News-Leader
·2 min read

Note: A previous version incorrectly stated use of the Ward YMCA pool would be allowed this summer. The building will be used for hosting camps and will not be open to the public.

Expanding a branch to southwest Missouri, the Rolla-based Phelps County Bank has purchased the downtown Springfield Ward YMCA building for $2,050,000.

The May 1 closing date of the sale marks the beginning of the end of the more than 100-year history of the downtown Springfield YMCA, but area residents will be able to use the pool one last time this summer. At request of the Ozarks Regional YMCA, the bank gave permission to continue use of the building for summer camps before renovations begin in the fall. The building will not be open to the public.

The YMCA asked to use it this summer and we said yes. So, Springfield can still use (the building) this summer and then we'll start work after that," Phelps County Bank spokeswoman Linda Goff told the News-Leader.

The historic building, which cost $100,000 to build, opened to the public in September 1913 after the original was destroyed by a fire two years earlier. In a statement last month, bank president Dominic DeLuca promised to preserve the historic structure of the building while opening the branch.

More: Park Board reverses course, pool digital ID to be voluntary this summer

"The renovation of this building will be a significant project, but we are up to the challenge," he said in a statement. "Our headquarters in downtown Rolla was constructed as a hotel in the early 1930s. Phelps County Bank has an affinity for preserving older buildings and maintaining their historic character."

Ozarks Regional YMCA announced that the Ward Downtown YMCA was for sale last year, citing declining membership and increasing maintenance costs in a letter to its members. At the time, the 62,000-square-foot building was listed for $4.5 million. The building later went up for auction with the starting price at $750,000.

According to its website, Phelps County Bank is employee-owned and has a number of branches in Rolla and St. James. The Springfield location of the bank would be its first foray outside of Phelps County.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Phelps County Bank finalizes $2 million purchase of downtown Springfield YMCA