When President Taft visited Kalamazoo on September 22, 1911 he came to dedicatel two construction projects that had been made necessary by fire. He formerly opened the 'New' Burdick Hotel and laid the cornerstone for the Young Men's Christian Association.

Built over the ruins of the
old YMCA, the new structure featured a gym, lounges, offices, and recreation facilities. It was completed in less then a year.

The YMCA remained here until 1970 when they moved to a new building on W. Maple. A new use could have been found for the historic structure, but such things simply were not done at that time. Thus the YMCA was pulled down for a parking lot.