Hackensack YMCA Closing After Over 90 Years

HACKENSACK, NJ — The YMCA is set to close its building on Main Street by the end of next month after more than 90 years in the city.

The process started just over two years ago when the YMCA of Greater Bergen County announced it was working with a local real estate firm to sell the building and relocate the facilities programs and services. According to a statement, they are currently under contract with a buyer and will be relocating their programs to Greater County YMCA - New Milford this spring.

According to a report by northjersey.com, the YMCA couldn’t afford the upkeep on the building.

“Anytime you look at an almost 100-year-old building, there are infrastructure issues,” Richard Gorab, the president and CEO of the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges said in the report. “That branch had incurred operational deficits for a long period of time and it just wasn’t financially feasible to continue in its current state.”

The Greater Bergen County YMCA - New Milford center will open in the former Ascension School building. The new center is about 3 miles away from the current facility. According to a statement, it will feature classroom space, multipurpose rooms and outdoor fields for the Y to run youth sports and camp programs. It will also include space for wellness programming for youth and adults.

According to the report, the YMCA in Hackensack opened in 1928 and was the first Y designed to allow for women and children.

“We’ve been a mainstay of this community for more than 90 years,” Gorab said in the report. “We’re still looking to explore other collaborative opportunities with local organizations in Hackensack, to see how else we can meet the needs of the kids and families in the city.”

The Main Street facility will remain open as they make the transition to the new location. The YMCA’s before and after-care programs in the Hackensack schools will continue to run as scheduled.

Programs at the New Milford Center begin April 1.