OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
University of
Minnesota. Kautz Family YMCA Archives. [ymca]
YMCA of
Greater New York. William Sloane House.
William Sloane House
YMCA records.
1930-1988.
Y.GNY.0012
Collected minutes, reports and studies,
fund-raising material, program information, and printed material about the
William Sloane House YMCA located in New York City and covering the period
1930-1988.
4 cubic feet (9
boxes)
See Detailed Description section for box
listing. English
HISTORY OF THE WILLIAM SLOANE HOUSE
YMCA
The William Sloane House was named after William Sloane (1873-1922),
chair of the Army and Navy International Committee throughout WWI and of the
National War Work Council of the YMCA. Founded in 1930 to provide inexpensive
lodging and hospitality to members of the armed services, reflecting the war
work of William Sloane, the branch on West 34th Street operated the largest
YMCA residential program in the city of New York. Designed by New York
architects Cross and Cross, the William Sloane House opened under the direction
of long-time executive Arthur E. Hoffmire with 1,595 rooms, the second largest
residential YMCA in the United States. Although remodeling and altered program
directions resulted in changes in the number of sleeping rooms, the facility
continued to provide at least 1,400 rooms. By 1945, women and girls could
become official members of the Sloane House.
The capacity of the building became a problem for the William Sloane
House YMCA in later years. Changing demographics and a reduction in the number
of servicemen visiting New York forced William Sloane House to provide
long-stay accommodations to welfare recipients, college students, and
neighborhood residents. A 1972 fire that killed four people reinforced the
impression that William Sloane House had become a much different institution
from the one that opened in 1930. Despite a major fund-raising effort in the
1980’s, William Sloane House closed in 1993, and short-term visitors to New
York were housed in the West Side and Vanderbilt YMCA branches. In 1994, the
building was offered for sale, and finally purchased for about five million
dollars, significantly less than the YMCA of Greater New York had hoped to
realize. Even under new ownership, the building retained its focus on youth by
providing rental apartments geared toward young people new to New York.
(Information taken from historical notes in the William Sloane House
YMCA records and from web sites)
SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION
The William Sloane House YMCA records consist of branch House
Committee minutes (1949-1965), Board of Managers minutes (1962-1981),
descriptive and promotional material on programs and events (1930-1988),
reports, surveys, and planning documents (1929-1985), publications and
brochures (1930-1980s), operations and personnel (1955-1970), and clippings,
correspondence, insurance claims related to the 1972 William Sloane House fire.
ORGANIZATION/ARRANGEMENT OF THE RECORDS
These documents are organized into the following sections:
- House Committee Minutes.
- Finances and Fund-raising.
- Programs and Events.
- Reports and Surveys.
- Brochures and Publications.
- Board of Managers Minutes.
- William Sloane House Fire.
- Personnel and Procedures.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Use of Materials:
This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States
(Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright,
ownership, and to obtain all the necessary permissions prior to the
reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Sloane House YMCA Records. Kautz Family YMCA Archives. University
of Minnesota.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Processing Information:
Processed by: Louise Merriam, September 2006.
Catalog Record ID number: 4884337
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
The following section contains a detailed list of the materials in the
collection. To request materials, please note the corresponding box number.
House Committee
1
House Committee minutes,
1949-1965.
11 folders.
Reports
3
Residency survey and college visits,
1968-1974.
3
Sutherland-Miller Sloane House study,
1968-1974.
3
YMCA East Village project,
1968.
3
Years of change, 1966-1970,
1970.
3
Sloane House program study,
1957.
3
Branch constituency study,
1958.
3
Fact sheet for Sloane House and YMCA of Greater New
York,
circa 1962.
3
50 Young Men: A Pilot Study of the
Needs and Interests of the Residents...,
1960.
3
Operating reports,
1965-1967.
3
Annual report,
1967-1968.
3
Planning documents and notes,
1967.
3
Miscellaneous reports,
1953, 1957, 1961, 1985.
3
Historical notes,
1929-1985.
Finances and Fund-raising
2
December statements,
1930-1969.
4 notebooks.
4
Statements/chart of accounts,
1968-1969.
2 folders.
4
Taxation,
1937-1968.
4
Campaign promotion kit,
1979.
4
Fund report,
1972.
4
Fund development report,
1965, 1985.
4
Invoice for membership cards,
1959.
4
Fund-raising letter,
1956.
4
Room rates,
1967.
6
Campaign,
1962.
6
5 boro campaign,
1962-1963.
6
Campaign promotion kit,
1964.
6
Proposal to Citibank,
1979.
Programs and Events
4
Newspaper clippings,
1929-1943.
4
Newspaper clippings,
1951-1952, 1967-1968.
5
Changing programs for the 1970s,
1972.
5
Proposed Association program priorities,
1973.
5
YMCA international residence directory,
circa 1970.
5
Man of the Year: Frederick C. Fischer,
1969.
5
Aids Awareness Week,
1988.
5
Events,
1930, 1963-1966, 1991.
5
Pied Piper program,
1968.
5
Bible breakfast,
1947, 1962, 1963.
5
USSR cultural exchange: 34th year of 34th Street,
1963-1964.
7
Building dedication, 1st anniversary,
1930-1931.
7
10th anniversary,
1940.
7
25th anniversary,
1955.
7
40th anniversary,
1970.
7
50th anniversary,
1980.
7
Our First 50 Years,
1980.
7
An international young adult center,
1971.
Sloane House Fire
5
Sloane House fire newspaper clippings,
1972, 1974.
5
Sloane House fire claims,
1972.
5
Sloane House fire correspondence,
1972.
Personnel and Procedures
5
Employee orientation,
1963.
5
Procedures for use of meeting space,
1956.
5
Organizational chart,
circa 1966.
5
Security office manual of procedures,
1970.
5
Counseling staff,
1960, 1963.
5
Executive staff meeting minutes,
1964-1966.
5
New School...Sloane House YMCA residence hall handbook,
1980s.
5
Personnel: Sloane House labor contract and residence
program staff,
1967, 1970s.
Brochures and Publications
7
Brochures,
1930-1950.
7
Brochures,
1950-1970.
7
Inside,
1967-1969.
7
Sloane House Herald,
1987-1988.
2 folders.
7
Sloane House Traveler,
1967-1969.
7
Women's Newsletter / Orbit,
1959, 1965.
7
"Sloane House Offers In-Depth Glimpse of City,"
1971.
7
Men of New York,
1929, 1930.
7
The Sloane House Story,
1950.
7
Seeing New York the "Y's" Way,
circa 1950.
7
An Achievement in Hospitality,
circa 1930.
7
On the House,
1978.
7
Material in Holiday and
Print magazines,
circa 1960, 1986.
Board of Managers
8
Board of Managers minutes,
1969-1981.
8 folders.
9
Members of the Board of Managers, 1934-1954,
1954.
9
Board of Managers minutes,
1959-1968.
8 folders.
RELATED MATERIALS
YMCA Armed Services Department. An Inventory of Its World War I
Records, for material related to the involvement of William S. Sloane in the
National War Work Council.
INDEX TERMS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
Topics:
Fires.
Young Men's
Christian associations -- Buildings.
Young Men's
Christian associations -- New York (State) -- New York.
Places:
New York (N.Y.).
Persons:
Sloane, William S., 1873-1922.
Hoffmire, Arthur E., 1884-1943.
Organizations:
YMCA of Greater New York. William Sloane House.
Cross & Cross.
National War Work Council, Y.M.C.A. of the United
States.