92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association, June 3, 1928.

Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the 92nd Street Y (as it is more commonly known) is a social institution whose mission was originally, "to promote a better feeling and a higher culture among young men and to unite them into a liberal organization, which shall tend to their moral, intellectual, and social improvement.”

First housed in a rented building on West 21st Street that included parlors, a reading and a gym, the Y moved to larger quarters on 42nd Street a few years later. During the 1880s and 1890s the Y slowly continued its move uptown at various location along Lexington Avenue. In 1899 Jewish-American banker, businessman, and philanthropist, Jacob H. Schiff donated $150,00 for the construction of a new building at 92nd Street. The new building (seen here) opens in 1900 and provides educational, religious, and recreational programs for young Jewish men. The building has an annex with pool and dormitories added in 1911. The first Jewish Boys Scout troop is organized at the Y in 1913.

In the late 1920s, the original build is razed and by 1930 the new Art Deco building opens, with a dormitory for 235 men, two gymnasiums, a 25-yard pool, the wood-paneled, 917-seat auditorium, kosher cafeteria, billiard room, and Art Center facilities. The 1920s and 1930s marked a major expansion of the programming under visionary leadership. The Y's place as a hub of music, arts, and community service is solidified, as they also open their educational and arts programming to the general public.

Today the 92nd Street Y remains a preeminent and busy New York cultural institution, nearly 150 years after its founding.