The YMCA of Greater Rochester has sold its Carlson Metro Center building on East Main Street to Rochester Regional Health for $2.4 million, according to YMCA officials. The announcement was made on Monday through a press release.
YMCA officials said Rochester Regional’s commitment to the community, particularly health equity, made the health system the best choice for new ownership.
"At the YMCA of Greater Rochester, we make decisions to better community, and this decision was no different,” said Ernie Lamour, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Rochester. He said, “the Y remains committed to the City of Rochester.”
The nonprofit has faced criticism in recent years as it closed the fitness center on East Main and sold off its Monroe Avenue branch while building lavish new buildings in Pittsford and Canandaigua. Maplewood is the only full-service branch remaining in the city.
Rochester Regional is still shaping its plans for the center. But officials said the services will meet the needs of the community and the city’s broader revitalization initiatives.
Chip Davis, CEO of Rochester Regional, said in the release that the institution is proud to be a part of the “city’s ongoing revitalization.” He said RRH is dedicated to supporting “the health and well-being of everyone who lives, works and spends time” in the area.
The Y will keep its office in the East Main building until the fall. The organization will then relocate its office to the Five Star Bank Building on Chestnut Street. The Carlson MetroCenter branch also had been used in recent years for childcare, and some youth programs.
