YMCA of Metropolitan Denver officials are selling the organization’s North Capitol Hill location to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in what leaders say is an effort to address the city’s growing affordable housing crisis.
The YMCA and Coalition have shared the space at 25 E. 16th Ave. since 2001, when the YMCA sold a majority of the space to the homeless nonprofit while continuing to operate wellness programs, adult sports and summer camps in the remaining 45,000 square feet.
Those programs will come to an end when doors close Dec. 30, allowing Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to convert the space into “affordable rental and supportive housing units, ensuring lasting solutions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity,” YMCA and CCH officials said in a news release Monday.
It’s a bittersweet change, YMCA of Metropolitan Denver President Breezy Bolden said Tuesday.
For 119 years, Denverites have come to the building at the corner of East 16th Avenue and Lincoln Street for everything from sports to temporary housing, summer camps to social and educational programs.
“We have a deep commitment to central Denver and a very rich history in that building and Denver in general,” Bolden said. “But at the same time, we also feel really passionate about the opportunity to deepen our partnership with the Coalition to expand affordable housing for the most vulnerable in our community.”
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless currently runs 216 single-resident units in the building, with communal bathroom and kitchen facilities, spokesperson Cathy Alderman said.
After the sale is final in early 2026, Coalition leaders will work with engineers and architects to determine how many additional units they can add to the building, Alderman said. The organization also plans to expand existing units into studio or one-bedroom apartments, each with its own bathroom and kitchen.
“These affordable homes in downtown Denver are precious and desperately needed. We are proud to partner with the Denver YMCA to further both long-time Colorado-serving missions while honoring the legacy of this historic building,” Coalition President Britta Fisher said in a statement.
The national YMCA organization opened the downtown Denver location in 1906, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, according to the nonprofit.
Renovations are expected to begin in 2027 and will include “preserving the building’s historic character,” officials said in the news release.
The last day of operations also coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Denver YMCA’s founding.
The one full-time and 15 part-time YMCA staff who work at the downtown location will be offered jobs at other metro Denver campuses or programs, Bolden said.
YMCA leaders were not initially looking to sell the building, but the idea came about after talking with community leaders as the organization worked on a new strategic plan this year, she said. One of those meetings was with a team from Colorado Coalition for the Homeless about their plans for the shared space.
“We started doing our own digging and data collection, and really landed on that this was the highest and best use for this facility given the needs of the immediate service area,” Bolden said.
The YMCA will continue offering community programs in central Denver through local schools and health care centers, but leaders are not looking to purchase a new physical location right away, Bolden said.
“As far as another brick and mortar, that is not on our radar at this time but we will keep our options open and see what comes in the future,” she said.
Downtown Denver YMCA members can transfer their memberships to one of the other five locations in the metro, the organization said in a news release.
