Cleaver Family YMCA

Kansas City, MO
Construction Cost: $5.9 million
Area / Square Feet: 31,962
Occupancy Date: February 2006

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City?s newest family recreation center serves nearly 65,000 families in the city?s south district and was named for former mayor and U.S. congressman Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, who was active in advocating for positive change on the south side?s behalf. Since opening, the Cleaver Y has helped stimulate community development and bring a diverse community closer together.

The building?s open plan and centralized front desk allow only a few employees to monitor all activity areas, most of which accommodate multiple functions and programs. For example, the teen center doubles as an active older-adults program room and, at other times, serves as a meeting room for neighborhood groups. The natatorium?s zero-depth-entry pool hosts open recreation, physical rehabilitation and aquatic fitness classes, swimming lessons and lap swimming. The natatorium and wellness center, both main attractions, are prominently located near the front of the Y.

Sited on a small 3.7-acre plat and surrounded by residential and commercial development, parks and a cemetery, the facility is buffered from those elements by ponds that also help detain stormwater runoff. Longevity and low maintenance were key goals in the selection of building materials ? from the use of epoxy paint on interior masonry walls to the choice of insulated, colored precast exterior walls.