Young Men's Christian Association (University of Washington) Photograph Collection, 1900-1963

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Young Men's Christian Association (Seattle, Wash.). University Branch
Title
Young Men's Christian Association (University of Washington) Photograph Collection
Dates
1900-1963 (inclusive)
Quantity
115 photographs, 1 postcard, 24 negatives (2 boxes, 2 oversize folders)
Collection Number
PH2004-048
Summary
Images of past officers and members, conferences, banquets, social events, and buildings that housed the YMCA organization at the University of Washington
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The University Branch of the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) was founded September 8, 1888, when the University of Washington campus was located in downtown Seattle. It was the first student organization at the university, and it functioned primarily as a religious organization. The YMCA was reorganized several times in its early years, but there is little documentation from that period. By 1900 the University Branch had more steady contact with the national organization and began to integrate itself into the campus community.

In 1910 the YMCA moved into the Arctic Brotherhood building, a log structure on the present campus. In the teens the Y began to grow substantially, from 260 members in 1912 to 710 in 1916. Members were very active in local issues, including labor, immigrant education, grammar school athletics, and the Big Brothers organization. General Secretary Charles L. Maxfield was the first professional to hold the position of secretary in the University Branch of the YMCA. He was instrumental in the campaign to build Eagleson Hall.

The YMCA had been a strong presence on campus, but with a change in university policies during the 1920s concerning the separation of church and state, it became necessary for the YMCA to find a new home. A suitable site was found, and members undertook an agressive fundraising drive. After many pleas for contributions to the building fund, Maxfield secured a $10,000 grant from John D. Rockerfeller. In March 1923, Eagleson Hall was dedicated, completed at a cost of $100,000, including furnishings. It remained the home of the YMCA until it was sold to the university in 1963.

Throughout the 1930s the YMCA was considered a radical organization due to its involvement in issues concerning global peace and free speech. It was a vital part of the lives not only of many students but also of servicemen who received training on campus during World War II. During the war, the YMCA was active in opposing the incarceration of Japanese Americans. Criticisms of the YMCA's liberal actions were heard again in 1962, when the organization defended its decision to rent a room to students who had invited communist leader Gus Hall to speak. The university had rejected requests to let Hall speak on campus, and the YMCA came under the scrutiny of the national organization for its decision.

In 1940 the YWCA University Branch moved into Eagleson Hall. Attempts to connect the two groups in the 1920s had failed, as the YMCA perceived the YWCA as too feminist for a successful partnership. During the time that the YMCA and YWCA were housed together, however, they worked closely. Both organizations left Eagleson Hall in 1963.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Images of past officers and members, conferences, banquets, social events, and buildings that housed the YMCA organization at the University of Washington. Includes a number of images from the groundbreaking ceremony for Eagleson Hall in 1922. Includes images of original building from the APYE and its demolition.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Custodial History

The current photograph collection, Photo Acc. 2004-048, was received together, on May 16, 1973 with the materials that form Accession No. 2126-003 in the Manuscripts Collection. Additional images were transferred from the University Archives imprint holding area in May 1982. Please refer to the appropriate manuscripts finding aids to use those collections. The photographs were transferred to the Visual Materials Collection on March 26, 2004 and November 30, 2004. One panorama-size pencil drawing transferred from Accession No. 2126-003 in August 2021.

Acquisition Information

The current photograph collection was received together, on May 16, 1973 with the materials that form Accession No. 2126-003 in the Manuscripts Collection, gift of Dorothy Jenkins. Additional images were transferred from the University Archives imprint holding area in May 1982. Please refer to the appropriate manuscripts finding aids to use those collections. The photographs were transferred to the Visual Materials Collection on March 26, 2004 and November 30, 2004, and a panorama pencil drawing of an interior was transferred in August 2021.

Processing Note

Unprocessed.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

PortraitsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
YMCA Officers
Eighteen b/w portraits of University of Washington YMCA officers.
1928-1947

Cabinet OfficersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/2
Cabinet Officers
Ten b/w group photographs of University of Washington YMCA officers.
1922-1962

Group PhotographsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/3
Identified
One color and ten b/w group photographs of YMCA members at conferences, dances, and social events. Includes a print of YMCA members and officers with Professor Edmond Meany taken ca. 1909.
1900-1963
1/4
Unidentified
Nine b/w photographs of unidentified groups, most likely members of the YMCA at the University of Washington.
undated
box:oversize
XHU1
Panorama photograph of student group in grassy field
One b/w panoramic photograph of a large unidentified group of students from a number of colleges and universities.
between 1910 and 1915
Box/Folder
2/2
Conferences and banquets
Seven photographs of conferences (including the Seabeck Conference) and banquets. Also includes one photograph of the UW Engineering Building.
1922-1936

Seabeck ConferenceReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/5
Conference Delegates
Ten b/w photographs of YMCA delegates from the University of Washington and other colleges attending the summer conferences held in Seabeck, Washington.
1920-1937
box:oversize
XHU1
YWCA students at Seabeck Conference
1-piece panorama format.
1920
mapcase
M274
Panoramic photograph of large group of students, probably at Seabeck
DeMonbrun, McMinnville, OR (photographer)
Mostly female students from a number of colleges and universities. The back of the print includes handwritten names for a number of the students.
between 1905 and 1920?

International BanquetsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/6
International Banquets
Four b/w photographs of YMCA members attending the annual International Banquet
1919-1945

Campus BuildingsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/7
YMCA Buildings
One b/w postcard and seventeen b/w photographs of campus buildings that have housed the YMCA organization at the University of Washington, including the basement of Lewis Hall, the Arctic Brotherhood Building (site of the Music Building), and images of the groundbreaking ceremony for Eagleson Hall in June1922. Includes photographs of the original building from the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and its later demolition.
ca. 1909-1934
box:oversize
XHU1
Pencil sketch of building interior
Panorama.
XHU1
Panoramic group portrait at Ground Breaking Day for Eagleson Hall at University of Washington YMCA (Linkletter 897)
Linkletter Studio (photographer)
1-piece panorama format .
June 1922

NegativesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/8
Negatives
Six negatives of images of members of the Seabeck delegation and a seminar in the summer of 1932, as well as an unidentified image of a house.
1928-1932

Campus ActivitiesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/9
Eagleson Hall
Seventeen b/w photographs and eighteen negatives of members of the YMCA and YWCA at the University of Washington involved in committee meetings, services, athletics, social events, and other organizational activities at Eagleson Hall.
ca. 1940-ca. 1942
2/1
Campus Advertisements
Seven 8 x 10 b/w mounted prints illustrating the various services offered and benefits enjoyed by member of the YMCA at the University of Washington.
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Corporate Names

  • Young Men's Christian Association (Seattle, Wash.). University Branch--Officials and employees--Photographs
  • Young Men's Christian Association (Seattle, Wash.). University Branch--Photographs