Important Firsts at the YWCA Boston

1866
The first YWCA in the U.S. opens in Boston as an organization governed by women and offering a program of services and activities for women.

1884
The Berkeley Residence in the South End is built to provide safe and respectable housing for women.

1884
The YWCA builds the first gymnasium for women. The provision of health and fitness services for women was an unheard-of idea at the time, and the fact that women planned to build the facility was viewed by many as a bold move doomed to failure. The YWCA Boston not only succeeded in building the facility at the Berkeley Residence and paving the way for future female developers but also helped to foster social acceptance of health activities for women. YWCA Boston continues to provide comprehensive health and wellness services today.

1898
The YWCA Boston offers secretarial training for women, which was criticized as a "revolutionary act that might lead women to forget their place." Prominent citizens opposed women operating a typewriter because of the "physical hazards to the weaker sex." The YWCA, knowing that factory machines and sculleries were far more hazardous, expanded its typing classes. Other expensive classes in woodworking, the arts, and professional counseling were added at nominal fees. (Note: At the time, "secretary" meant hired administrators, not clerical workers.)

1920s
YWCA Boston is one of the first organizations in the country to pioneer and advocate the concept of racial justice and social equality.

1927
The 13-story YWCA Boston Clarendon Street building is constructed.

1968
The national YWCA to adopts the "One Imperative" as part of its mission: The elimination of racism wherever it exists and by any means necessary.

1975
The YWCA pilots the first training programs for "Women in Construction," which helped make it possible for women to enter non-traditional and management occupations.

1995
The YWCA Boston establishes the Academy of Women Achievers to recognize women who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in their professions and communities.

1998
YWCA Boston helps launch the nation's first supportive community for grandparents raising their grandchildren at the GrandFamilies House, where the YWCA offers Generations Learning Together, an intergenerational program that emphasizes math, science, and computer technology learning and provides supportive services to grandparents.

2003
The YWCA Boston unveils The Campaign for the YWCA Boston, a 55 million dollar renovation of our historic 140 Clarendon Street headquarters. The renovated building offers 72 units of housing, a 54 room boutique hotel, a cafe, and modern facilities.

2006
In response to mounting evidence of disparities in health outcomes for women of color and new-immigrant women in Boston, the YWCA establishes a comprehensive Health and Wellness Initiative for Women and Girls that is designed to eliminate these disparities. By offering programs and materials in multiple languages, the YWCA Boston expands its scope to include women who are often overlooked by health-care providers and other social service agencies in the city.