Leaning Tower YMCA Closes Permanently Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

From the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago:

NILES, IL – The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago announced today that it must make the regrettable decision to permanently close the Leaning Tower YMCA effective June 1, 2020. The Leaning Tower Y is one of three centers that will not reopen - the other two locations are the Leaning Tower YMCA in Niles and the Kroehler Family YMCA in Naperville. The closures are necessary to safeguard the financial stability of the overall Association so that it can continue to serve families and youth across the Chicagoland area. Residents at the Leaning Tower housing complex will not be affected by the closure of the adjacent membership center operations.

“The overwhelming stress that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put on the global economy has also put an enormous strain on our organization. We’ve reached the point where we are no longer able to sustain these centers during and after the pandemic,” said Richard Malone, President and CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

The three facilities have been operating at a loss for several years prior to the coronavirus outbreak, mainly due to the rising costs of maintaining the aging buildings that house the operations. Consequently, the center has experienced declining membership and program enrollment in recent years. The Leaning Tower YMCA building located at 6300 W. Touhy Avenue has reached the end of its serviceable life. It requires millions of dollars in repairs and improvements, after having received significant capital investments over the last five years.

“We have always done everything we can to keep the Leaning Tower YMCA open because we know how much the Niles community values the Y’s unique and family-centered programs and services. That is what has made this a painful decision for us. But the sad reality is we can no longer afford to operate the center at its loss rate,” added Malone.

The association temporarily closed the doors of all of its 17 membership centers, five overnight camps, and dozens of extension sites on March 16 to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. With suddenly vanishing revenues, the nonprofit association stands to lose many millions of dollars that have severely restricted its financial flexibility. The organization has considered fundraising for the affected locations but concluded that forecasted funds would not be enough to prevent the closures.

Nevertheless, the Y remains committed to families and youth in the Niles area and is currently in negotiations with other local entities to explore alternative ways to serve local families through creative community partnerships. An exciting new collaboration could be announced this summer.

In the meantime, once facilities reopen, Leaning Tower Y members will be offered a six-month complimentary membership to any one of the Association’s other 14 YMCA membership centers across the Chicagoland area. This includes the Irving Park YMCA located at 4251 W. Irving Park Road, which also offers a racquetball and handball court, two basketball courts, two pools, licensed before and after school and preschool programming, and ample parking. Program participants who have already enrolled or paid for any upcoming programming at Leaning Tower will receive a full refund.

“The road ahead is unclear, and like all Americans, we will do our absolute best to recover. We thank all of our Leaning Tower Y members, program participants, and supporters for their continuous support over the years and for their understanding as we move forward with this difficult but necessary closure. We have enjoyed being a part of the Niles community in this location for almost 55 years and look forward to the opportunity to continue serving local families and youth again very soon,” said Malone.

“While it is with great sadness that the Y is leaving our home at Leaning Tower, we ask that the community try to focus on the positive future ahead and the new opportunities that will come about as a result of this transition. We hope it will allow the Village of Niles to continue to build towards its Touhy Triangle Master Plan of redevelopment for the downtown area and that the potential new use of the Leaning Tower site will continue to pay dividends for the entire Niles community for years to come. We thank all of our Leaning Tower Y members, program participants, and supporters for their continuous support over the years and for their understanding as we move forward with this difficult but necessary closure,” said Malone.

This release was produced by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. The views expressed here are the author's own.