YMCA of the East Valley
It was 1887, Grover Cleveland was president and the navel orange industry was in its infancy. The YMCA of the East San Bernardino Valley, now known as the Redlands YMCA, was established on May 2, 1887 in an office on the northeast corner of Orange and Citrus. The YMCA held its first public meeting July 17, 1887.
A new 40 x 70 two story brick building on East State St. was the site of the inaugural meeting held 10/9/1887. This was the fistic in Southern California to own its own building. It cost $4635. The new building served as a church site for Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist denominations. The building also provided a coffee and reading room established by the Smiley Brothers in anticipation of a public library.
Because of the rapid growth of the East State Street Y, in August 1892 the board voted to sell their building and buy two lots to construct a new and larger facility at a cost of $25,000. Today that site is the Redlands City Hall. The Redlands Y moved again in1914 to the southeast corner of Citrus and 6th St. where sports programs thrived. This facility had a swimming pool, two tennis courts, a gymnasium, offices, kitchen, dining room and storerooms. By 1926 we were ready to expand again. Three acres of citrus groves were purchased for $9,000. By the summer of 1927 a new YMCA building was completed at 500 E. Citrus Avenue, our current location.
In 1929 Roy Coble, General Director, held a Y family night, which today has matured to the Great Y Family Circus. During WWII the YMCA maintained overnight sleeping quarters and furnished free showers and use of the facilities to men on leave. A local USO office opened in the building.
Racquetball was introduced by the Redlands Y in the 1960’s. In 1970 two additional courts were added. In 1975 a co-ed fitness center was added, making the Redlands Y a model to be copied in the Inland Empire. In December 1984 the Roy Coble gymnasium was dedicated. This gym was also built to hold the annual Great Y circus performances. A new teen/senior center was added in 1992.By 1994 we added the outdoor roller hockey program, the first YMCA to have such a program in the area. In 1997 we opened our new outdoor pool, roller hockey rink and the Frank Serrao Park.
A woman’s auxiliary group was formed in 1890. They organized many social events to raise funds for the Y, such as concerts, meetings and dinners. One concert raised $68.71. By 1959 women and girl’s activities had expanded so much that a woman’s locker room and exercise room were added. By 1974 a woman’s spa opened, called Y’s Up. The first female board member was appointed in1975. In 1991 Paula Dill became the first female Board President of the Redlands YMCA. Today 45% of the YMCA membership and 70%of the employees are female.
Redlands holds its first camp for boys on Catalina Island in 1890. By 1919 Redlands Boys started attending at mountain camp at Bluff Lake in Big Bear. The Redlands YMCA bought their own camp in Seven Oaks near the Santa Ana riverbed in 1926. Camp Edwards was named in 1934 and its present location was obtained in 1938. The Camp got a facelift in 1948, with gifts of manpower and money and the help of 400 volunteers. A new pool was dedicated in 1985 along with shower rooms and winterizing projects. The next year the Kiwanis Club remodeled handicapped accessible restrooms.
Childcare was introduced to the YMCA in 1982 when a preschool and nursery was started, with an enrollment of 50. Our facility was first licensed in 1983. In 1985 before and after school childcare for school age youngsters was begun. Buses and vans were added for transportation from the schools to the Y in 1987. Beginning in 1988, school age childcare began to be operated at local elementary schools, adding one new site per year between 1988 and 1993. An additional four sites were added when the City of Redlands discontinued their childcare programming in 1994. There were 900 children involved in YMCA childcare programming in October 1999.
The Y Alliance affiliated with Redlands YMCA on April 1, 1998. The YMCA of San Bernardino joined together with the YMCA of Redlands on October 1, 1999.
