The cornerstone is dated 1908. The building still stands and although its Forrest Avenue facade has been obscured by a two-story storefront, look up to see its classical pediment.
The YMCA struggled financially from its inception and finally ceased its association activities May 1, 1920. The building retained its vital role in civic life. It had provided a location for the Narberth branch of the Red Cross during World War I. It housed the Narberth Free Public Library from 1915 until the Y's closing. The library's successor, the fledgling Narberth Community Library, occupied its lobby in 1921–25, then its former gymnasium until May 1926, upon the opening of the new Community Building on Windsor Avenue.
Narberth's Young Men's Christian Association Forced to Close Its Doors, Our Town, April 17, 1920
In 1923, the building was purchased by the Merion Title and Trust Co., which intended to re-model it as a second branch. After the determination that its charter confined it to operating within Lower Merion Township, in March 1925 they constructed a new building on the southeast corner of Haverford and Narberth avenues, just outside the borough.
The bank sold the property to Narberth real estate developer Robert Nash, who added a one-story storefront on Forrest Ave. before 1929 (you can see it in this 1929 aerial photo). It rose to the second story we know today between 1953 and 1970.
Narberth Y. M. C. A. Building Is Sold By Bank To Robert J. Nash, Our Town, May 1, 1926.
Updated October 29, 2025.