Twelfth Street Colored Y.M.C.A. Of Washington, D.C., Part I
One of the most beautiful vintage gymnasiums on the planet is at the old Twelfth Street Colored Y.M.C.A. in Washington, D.C.
The building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places.
I’ll write more about it next week but for now I just wanted you to appreciate the old school basketball magnificence of this spot.
It reminds me of the Rozier Hansborough Center, also known as the “BathHouse” on 134th street in Harlem. If you run around that banked track in the same direction for too long, you’ll develop a curvature of the spine. Such close quarters….check out how the top of the key is literally tangent to the half court circle.
… and speaking of running tracks, did you note the double decker track here, which was rare even back in those days?