Look inside brand new Tacoma YMCA: New pool, climbing wall, lazy river
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tacoma Pearl Street YMCA opens West building with aquatics center, lazy river.
- East building retains gym, studios and cardio center.
- Phase 2 will add new gymnasiums, courts, teen and community spaces pending fundraising.
The News Tribune got a special inside look of the new Tacoma Pearl Street Family YMCA building that has its grand opening on Thursday, Jan. 1.
Opening in the West building is a new aquatics center with a lazy river, lap pool, hot tub, sauna and stream room. There also will be a new strength-training area and an enhanced climbing wall, according to the YMCA. The YMCA raised $27.5 million in donations for this phase of the project.
The new West building is at the same address as the existing East building (1002 S. Pearl St.), which will continue to house the gymnasium, cardio center, group fitness classrooms, racquetball courts, track, cycle studio, art studio, youth drop-in zone and gymnastics studio, as previously reported by The News Tribune.
All YMCA locations in Pierce and Kitsap counties will have modified hours on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. They will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 1, according to its website. Pools will close 30 minutes before closing.
Members can check in at either of the Pearl Street YMCA buildings’ welcome centers, and there is a dedicated walkway connecting the two, according to the YMCA’s website.
The aquatics center, weight room, climbing wall, showers and upstairs locker rooms are permanently closed in the East building, according to the YMCA.
Pending additional fundraising, Phase 2 of construction will include the creation of another new building at the same address that will have new gymnasiums, a cardio room, art room, chapel, teen center, lounge, child-watch area, multipurpose rooms, community meeting room, racquetball and squash courts, cycling studio and an indoor walking track, according to an FAQ on the YMCA’s website.
Once construction on Phase 2 is complete, the East Building, which was built in the 1970s will be torn down, said Jyot Sandhu, the external communications manager for the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties.
