ruminations about architecture and design

Friday, October 5, 2012

last thoughts on the bymcu

 
The Boston Young Men's Christian Union

The gym I attended for over five years (six?) closed this week in a rather abrupt fashion. I was told by a staff member that they had an electrical problem which would be resolved in a timely manner. I became a bit  skeptical of this story  after I learned that the Massachusetts. Commission for the Blind had moved out of their office space on the upper floors. The closure of the gym on the first day of October neatly coincides with the expiration of many monthly memberships. A Google search reveals that the building was put up for sale recently.

I am bothered, but not surprised, by the lack of transparency here. The BYMCU is a non-profit administered by a board of directors who presumably donate their time and resources to the continuation of the institution. That institution is effectively in breach of a multitude of contracts at the moment--small in my case, possibly larger in the case of other people and corporations. I sense a basic imbalance of income and outlays, which is embarrassing, but quite ordinary. I'm holding out some hope that the place will open again, but I can't count on it. An institution  has a certain fundamental power that can transcend time, place, and individuals. But, without a physical presence, an institution dissolve into nothingness. Or, in this case, a prime real estate opportunity.

No comments:

Post a Comment