Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects has played a role in the location since it started as a roller-skating rink in 1995 to its most recent transformation completed this summer.
Architect Todd Grove stands back and envisions guests leaving the Southern York County YMCA with a renewed sense of purpose and an even stronger connection to their community.
Whether they entered the Shrewsbury facility to grow stronger or reach new goals, or simply to connect with their neighbors and friends, he hopes they find what they’re looking for within those walls.
“It’s more than a place for people to exercise,” he says. “The YMCA betters our community. We’re really just a small part of the bigger work they do.”
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects has played a role in the southern York YMCA location since it started in the converted former roller-skating rink in 1995. From those early renovations to the most recent 15,000-square-foot addition, including a new gym and a warm water therapeutic pool, the firm with offices in York, Pa., and Baltimore has guided its transformation.
New features
The new pool complements the branch’s existing eight-lane swimming pool. The gymnasium features a basketball court, two smaller perpendicular courts, and a volleyball court. The addition also includes new restrooms, storage rooms, and a space to house mechanical services.
The design incorporates modern touches while respecting the functionality of the space. The gymnasium, constructed with steel columns and exposed steel beams, features a durable maple wood floor, large windows, and translucent panels to let in natural daylight, and acoustic wall panels covered with colored fabric.
The Living Hope Church, which meets in the gym each Sunday, also has a raised platform that can be used as a stage or altar.
‘Outside the box’
One of the more unique aspects of the addition include a new exterior wall adjacent to the main entrance that M&D President Frank E. Dittenhafer and Architect Rebecca McCormick designed with donated materials from York Building Products.
The mosaic of concrete blocks in various sizes, colors, and textures – instead of a single concrete block selection – complement the existing exterior and send a metaphorical message to the community about inclusion and diversity.
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“There are a lot of aspects of the new designs that think outside the box but really work for that space,” McCormick says.
For one, people are surprised how large the new spaces are when they step inside, she says. Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects also stayed away from the typical blues and teals found in a pool area and instead used warm stones, added a green wall, and installed a wood bench.
A place to gather
When the ribbon was cut at the facility this summer, it marked a new beginning for the YMCA Southern Branch. It’s a place where everyone in the community can find a purpose, from young children to seniors, each of them gathering for their own reasons.
“I hope that it functions well for the different groups of people who use it,” McCormick says. “That’s always one of the goals with any design – that it serves well the people for whom it was created.”
The memorial’s groundbreaking took place in June, and the dedication is set to take place on November 11, 2024, or Veterans Day.