Saturday, June 29, 2013

9nd Street Y....in Yorkville or Carnegie Hill, take your choice

AS I got off the 6 train at 96th and Lex, I walked northward and noticed the Carnegie Hill store sign, as if I needed someone to remind me that this area of North Yorkville has been re-branded mostly by real  estate people (but with the cooperation of many residents)...For instance, up on 96th West of Lexington the library is still called the Yorkville Library (now closed for renovations)...
I have such fond memories of swimming at the 92nd Street Y and also not so fond memories of one Yoga class where the instructor drove everyone ragged...(many like me quickly dropped out, which, I later learned, was what he wanted. I found this out from one the administrators of the whole exercise program..)

Before we go any further, I guess this is the time to note that while the 92nd Street Y was, like most Y's, founded mostly as a physical culture place ( on one exterior wall of the old building, shown top, are the words, " Rejoice, young man, in thy youth"--which tells you something about the drift of the original attitude)..

But besides all the exercise equipment (vast array) and huge ozone-cleaned pool and hot tubs and classes in Tai Chi, Yoga, etc., today the Y is known to even more people because of its intellectual cultural life.

Consider some of these posters down on Lexington Avenue...
Sorry, June speakers have finished, last was General ( "All In") David Petraeus on the 27th. Sure more are coming though...
The special series on show biz....Hollywood musicals, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Fanny Brice, and much much more is still in full swing...

 And, of course, last but not least, the Jazz in July program coming up...starting with a tribute to Fats Waller and  then on to Jimmy an Heusen, West Coast Jazz, Chick Corea, "Mancini, Mandel and the Movies," and finishing off with "Benny Goodman: Let's Dance!"

People I know who live outside NYC are kept aware of what is happening at the Y by their friends and relatives who attend these programs...so what happens on 92nd Street has a "ripple effect" as well...

HISTORY...starting with right now

Well, now we have to go to the internet...I don't know what to show first...but let's see--

Well, let me give you the Y website first and you can check out on their flashy billboard there all the current events and coming attractions

http://www.92y.org/ 

OK, let's proceed into how all this got started...Well, not as overwhelming a story from Wikipedia as I thought there might be ( I am sure the official Y website has LOTS to tell you if you peruse it right)....
92nd Street Y (92Y) is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, USA, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA). It is not part of the YMCA.

History and design

Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association by German-Jewish professionals and businessmen, 92nd Street Y has grown into an organization guided by Jewish principles but serving people of all races and faiths.
92Y serves over 400,000 people annually and offers over 200 programs a day. Its 33 program areas include community outreach; lectures and panel discussions; Jewish education and culture; concerts featuring classical, jazz and popular music; humanities classes; dance performances; literary readings; film screenings; parenting programs; camps; a nursery school; fitness classes, a swim team, singles programs; seniors programs; and a residence program that rents rooms in the Y's main building at 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

Performances and spatial organization

92nd Street Y comprises eight programming centers: Bronfman Center for Jewish Life; Lillian & Sol Goldman Family Center for Youth & Family; Makor/Steinhardt Center; May Center for Health; Fitness & Sport; Milstein/Rosenthal Center for Media & Technology; School of the Arts; Charles Simon Center for Adult Life & Learning; and Tisch Center for the Arts. Its poetry center is called the Unterberg Poetry Center and has been led by prominent writers including American poet Karl Kirchwey who was director for thirteen years until 2000.[1]
The 917-seat Kaufmann Concert Hall, opened in 1930, is the home for concerts, performances, readings and lectures.
Individuals of note who have performed, lectured or taught at 92nd Street Y include (in alphabetical order):

Recent developments

In October 2008, 92Y opened a new performance space in Tribeca called 92YTribeca to bring together and inspire a diverse community of young people from New York City and beyond, including musicians, artists, filmmakers, performers, writers, educators, humorists, directors, speakers, sports enthusiasts and many others. 92YTribeca is located at 200 Hudson Street and features a performance stage with full bar for live music, comedy, theater, digital media, performance art, speakers and dance; a 72-seat movie theater featuring a variety of domestic and international films, shorts and digital media; a wireless cafe; serving fresh, local food and drinks; a lecture hall and rooms for talks, tastings, classes and more; and an art gallery offering rotating exhibits. Other programs include Jewish cultural events and celebrations, opportunities for community service throughout the city, and fun activities like summer softball in Central Park and whitewater rafting trips.

Notable residents

Notable individuals who have resided at 92nd Street Y include:
  • Joseph Gurwin (1920–2009), a philanthropist who rented a room at 92nd Street Y for four years after arriving in the U.S.[5]

See also

at

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