Greenpoint YMCA

The Greenpoint YMCA officially became a branch in 1906, but its origins extend much deeper into its neighborhood's history. In the 1860s, the branch's predecessor was known as the Workingmen's Christian Association, a reflection of the organization's commitment to serve the many factory and maritime workers in the surrounding area. 

Greenpoint's location at the confluence of Newtown Creek and the East River has long made it a magnet for skilled workers immigrating to America.  Nearly 80 percent of the neighborhood's residents today are descended from Polish immigrants, who share the community with a diverse population of working people, artists, retirees, and children. In fact, Greenpoint is home to New York City's second-largest community of artists, and the neighborhood also boasts the city's lowest reported crime rate.

The Greenpoint Y's fitness center is open throughout the day, and the branch offers a full menu of adult education, health and wellness, teen, childcare, and family programs. And just as it did nearly 150 years ago, the branch also offers bed-and-breakfast accommodations for visitors drawn to the neighborhood's rich and colorful character.