YWCA facility faces deterioration

Potholes surround the parking lot of the 21-year-old structure. The outer shell of the stucco and tiled building is cracked in areas and water is penetrating the exterior wall in some spots. The roof needs replacing. Windows are rusted, and the bright aqua trim is peeling. Inside, women's and men's lockerooms and bathrooms need an overhaul.

Some members say the building is dying of neglect. Administrators say there is simply not enough money in the coffers to meet all the building's needs.

The conflict seems to surround the YWCA's mission statement. It is clearly focused on the underprivileged and the empowerment of women, girls and their families, said two-year Executive Director Norma Benzon, not being a property manager.

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In fact, there was no professional group managing the building's ongoing maintenance over the years.

When Benzon came to the citywide organization's helm, finances were bleak. The YWCA had been on probation with the United Way and had been in the red for 10 years.

After a 1996 capital campaign, money gained went to a needy facility on Martin Luther King for single mothers, said architect Suzanne Labarthe. A subsequent campaign yielded money from some area foundations, while additional grants have brought in money earmarked for specific projects. Some YWCA land was sold to help with debt, she noted.

Rogers & Labarthe was hired in 1997 to do an overall facilities assessment of the YWCA. Admittedly, by Labarthe's estimate, the structure needs upwards of $800,000 in repairs. She fears that the board, split between selling the land or refurbishing the structure, will give in to the private growth spurt surrounding the Heights.

Her former employer, Taft & Associates, served as the building's architect in 1980 when it was built.

"It's interesting to see that people still respond to the building this way," she said of the members dedicated to the building's restoration. "They can see the basic skeleton and bones of the building are good.

"It's very frustrating to someone like me who knew it when it was brand new. Sometimes it takes something dire to happened before people respond," LaBarthe said.

She hopes the complaints will serve as a call to arms for any philanthropists that want to see the building restored.

Members say the pool has been frequently closed because of maintenance problems. Recently, it was out of commission for two weeks while the heater was repaired.

Former member and Heights resident Ken Huffman, whose wife still exercises at the facility, is an avid swimmer who worked out there for about eight months. He tired of the water's warm temperature, excessive chlorine and unscheduled outages, he said. Now he tells his friends interested in joining that they need to check it out for themselves.

"It's very funky," he said. "If you're looking for towel service, it's definitely not that."

YWCA member George Barnstorm equates the men's locker room to conditions in a Third World country, citing the absence of maintenance and sometimes essentials like toilet paper.

Still, he is fond of the old building. His own father, famed architect Howard Barnstone, provided him with an appreciation of fine architecture.

"I love architecture," he said. "It's such a beautiful building and complex in such an affluent section of town." He believes the building is worth fighting for.

The facility was named after deceased benefactor Carroll Masterson, a lover of great architecture whose relatives helped found the Houston YWCAs. She and husband Harris were avid collectors of 18th- and 19th- century European art and willed their collection and famous River Oaks contemporary Italian villa, Rienzi, to the Museum of Fine Arts.

Executive director Benzon said while the middle class and affluent are more than welcome at the facility, they must understand that she is just now getting the organization out of the red. The YWCA also cannot forget its roots with the poor, she added.

About $90,000 of a Houston Endowment grant has been earmarked for repairs to the Masterson facility. Funds will be used for repairing windows, updating the women and men's locker and rest rooms and repairing the parking lot.

Grants, Benzon said, are very specific as to their purpose. Much of the money has been designated for senior citizen programs and childcare.

"We serve about 3,600 seniors a day in 14 different sites," said Benzon. In addition, the Masterson branch houses after-school care and hosts tutorials for the "I Have a Dream Foundation."

The Masterson branch is the city's only YWCA health facility. Equipped with the heated indoor pool, many seniors use it in the morning for therapy for arthritis. Children also learn to swim at the pool. Members may use it at designated hours for lap swimming.

Aerobics, yoga and exercise classes are also offered, along with an unsupervised weight room, and racquetball courts. Members pay about $35 a month.

"The Heights is a very diverse community," Benzon said. "Only a couple of years (ago) the affluent started moving in. We're not a President's First Lady. We don't want to be that. But we have a lot of members who are very happy."

New board members at the YWCA weren't around when the facility first began to suffer from lack of maintenance sources, said longtime YWCA advocate Labarthe.

"They got to this situation from benign neglect," she said of the former leaders. "They are so focused on their social programs. That is where they put their emphasis and money."

"The YWCA as an organization is getting back into the black," said Labarthe. "It's not for lack of desire that the building's problems aren't being addressed by the current leadership."