City of Waycross

History:

In 1907 when the cornerstone of a community Young Mens’s Christian Association Center was laid at the corner of Pendleton and Isabella streets, Waycross already was, city boosters proudly proclaimed, a "city of churches". Such was the optimism amid the boom atmosphere that some were comparing Waycross with the state’s burgeoning capital city and even labeling Waycross the "Atlanta of South Georgia". Indeed the parallel between the two cities was clear. Although geographically widely separated, both were creatures if the railroads; in fact, Atlanta’s original name was Terminus, the end of the line.

Community leaders thought that a city growing by such leaps and bounds needed a YMCA, to build strong bodies and develop Christian character. They had heard of a talented man in Jacksonville, Florida, whose architectural genius had played a major role on the rebuilding of the city in the wake of the 1901 fire which had destroyed 148 city blocks. In the fire many of Jacksonville’s finest public and private buildings were gutted by flames.Today it is considered by some of his admirers to be among the finer examples of his architectural excellence.

Although the actual beginning for the construction is not clear, the June 21, 1907, edition of the Waycross Journal reported that "work on the new $60,000 YMCA is progressing very well and walls have been built up to the first floor joists". That same news story projected that the building would be ready for use by Thanksgiving of that year. It was not to be true. Funds apparently ran out, for in the Spring of 1910 a community-wide effort to raise the money to complete the building was launched. The effort raised $25,000 in cash and pledges with installment notes to be held by the First National Bank.

City Hall, fire stations, and the YMCA Building seemed to be inextricably linked from the very beginning. In late January of 1911 a "week of open house" for public tours of the new YMCA Building was announced. Just two weeks before, the Waycross Board of Alderman, had been told by Alderman Parker "…that the city (should) secure new quarters, apart from the fire department entirely". The need of further equipment in the central fire station was given as a special reason why a change should be made.

The YMCA Building was finally and officially opened on July 2, 1911, and dedicated "to the service of God" in a down-pour on October 14, 1911.

Although the Waycross YMCA was laid out along functional lines – gymnasium, swimming pool (basement floor), and dormitory rooms on the top floor, Klutho added a touch of class and his own originality by including interior Corinthian columns and an atrium opening through three floors. Both of these distinctions are preserved in the newly renovated structure.

After the electorate rejected a proposal to construct a new City Hall on the site of the Phoenix Building, the city commission proposed renovating the historic landmark structure in 1983 and the issue was carried by a margin of 4 to 1. The preservation of this centerpiece of Waycross history was clearly on the minds of the voters.