A rugby team connected with the Young Men’s Institute (YMI). The YMI Building at 39 South Market Street on the corner of Eagle Street was designed by Richard Sharp Smith and commissioned by George Vanderbilt as a community center for the black craftsmen who helped build the Biltmore Estate. In 1905 the YMI board of trustees purchased the 18,000 sq. ft., Tudor-style building from Vanderbilt for $10,000. The YMI became the center of social, cultural, civil, commercial and religious life for Black Asheville. In 1946 the building was sold to the Market Street Branch YMCA. In 1976 the building was closed and slated for demolition, but through the efforts of John Baxter and others, it was listed on the Historic Register in 1977. The property was sold to “the community” and renovation commenced. Upon completion in August of 1988, the YMI Cultural Center occupied the building.
NC Collection, Pack Memorial Public Library, digital scan made from print loaned by Andrea Clarke
To purchase a copy of this photo or for further information, contact the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library 828/250-4740 or packnc@buncombecounty.org.
