Stay at the YMCA

Details are falling into place on plans to renovate the National Register-listed 1913 Shopbell YMCA building in Evansville into 64 income-based apartment units, bringing much needed affordable living units into the downtown area.

Shopbell and Campbell designed the five-story building at Fifth and Vine Streets. The prolific local architectural firm was responsible for several notable buildings in Evansville, along with a number of Carnegie libraries in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Evansville’s YMCA is one of several downtown landmarks designed by local architectural firm Shopbell and Campbell. (Photo: Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology)

Indianapolis developer Jon Anderson and local partner ECHO Housing Corporation are Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Federal Historic Tax Credits to help fund the $13 million project. Crestline Communities management group will manage the property. Construction is slated to begin in late 2018, with first occupancy targeted for early 2020.

The YMCA is planning to break ground this summer on a new complex on Court Street. The new facility is slated to include a wellness center, gyms, swimming pool, media center, and youth-oriented space, along with a teaching kitchen for people that want to prepare healthy meals.