Rebuilding the Wilmington Family YMCA

The Wilmington Family YMCA Board of Directors recently selected two local firms to assist with the renovation and expansion of the YMCA at 2710 Market Street after a February 8, 2015 fire caused three million dollars in damages to the facility.  After a rigorous selection process, Y Board Chairman Marty DeJoseph says the board selected two outstanding firms to lead the efforts to bring a state-of-the-art YMCA to Wilmington; Bowman Murray Hemingway Architects will serve as the Architect of Record and Thomas Construction Group will be the Construction Manager for the project.

“We were humbled by the level of interest in the project, from local as well as regional organizations.  Each firm’s presentation exhibited a high level of talent and expertise - we were extremely impressed with them all, and are very happy with our final decision in selecting these two very talented companies”, says DeJoseph.  Wilmington Family Y CEO Dick Jones notes: “These two firms will build on the initial functional design work by Gro Development, a national facility development firm that supports YMCAs across the country.  For the past few years Gro Development has worked with our Board on a new vision for our facility to enhance what we offer our members and the community.  Now, with the help of these two highly qualified companies, we are excited to begin focusing on the details of rebuilding the Wilmington Family Y.”

Bowman Murray Hemingway Architects began as BMS Architects in 1955 under the direction and guidance of Frank Ballard, Herb McKim and Robert Sawyer.  Recently the company’s work has ranged from the simplicity of open air pavilions and boardwalks to more complex projects such as university buildings, aquariums, and medical facilities. “We are honored and excited to be part of the team that will design and rebuild Wilmington’s YMCA.  We look forward to bringing the strong bones of this facility back as a state of the art recreation facility for Wilmington to enjoy for decades to come,” says Chip Hemingway, AIA, LEED-AP.

Thomas Construction Group is a full-service general contractor specializing in early design phase construction management for building quality, cost-effective corporate commercial, institutional,  healthcare, hospitality, and industrial buildings. Chris Reid, President of Thomas Construction Group states “The fire that damaged the existing YMCA just over a year ago was devastating to our community. Thomas Construction Group is extremely excited to partner with the YMCA in providing the Greater Wilmington area with a welcoming environment and larger, state-of-the-art facility. We are anxious to begin pre-construction and the planning necessary for the rebuild.”