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The newly constructed A.C. Lewis YMCA on South Foster Drive in Mid City will soon open its doors.
A representative for the YMCA of the Capital Area tells Daily Report that the facility’s grand opening is set for Monday, April 28. It’s been a little over two years since work began on the $30 million project developed in partnership with the Louisiana Office of Community Development and Bearing Point Properties.
The facility replaces an old YMCA building that stood at the same site for 60 years and also bore the A.C. Lewis name.
The 26,000-square-foot fitness center portion of the development features a range of modern amenities including a gymnasium, a wellness center, a group exercise space, a swimming pool, a babysitting and youth space, a steam room, a sauna and locker rooms.
Notably, the new Y also features a 136,000-square-foot, four-story apartment complex developed as part of the state’s workforce housing program. The apartment complex consists of more than 100 one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
While construction of the new facility was underway, the A.C. Lewis YMCA operated out of a temporary location near the Gerry Lane Chevrolet and GMC/Buick dealerships on Florida Boulevard. The last day in that temporary location was April 17.
The A.C. Lewis YMCA is one of eight facilities operated by the YMCA of the Capital Area. In February, the nonprofit closed its C.B. Pennington Jr. YMCA on Old Hammond Highway, citing a “growing loss of revenue” since the historic 2016 flood and the COVID-19 pandemic.
