For more than 100 years, the YWCA Laniakea has offered group exercise classes, a fitness center and access to a one-of-a-kind pool at its downtown campus.

YWCA members have for decades swum laps at the Laniakea pool beneath an open sky, flanked by archways and palms at the historic, Spanish-style building by famed architect Julia Morgan.

But that is soon coming to an end, as the YWCA winds down its Health & Wellness program.

The last day of group fitness classes such as aqua aerobics, disco line dance, yoga and tai chi will be March 31. The fitness center and the swimming pool will close to Health & Wellness members on June 30.

“It was not an easy decision,” said YWCA Oahu CEO Noriko Namiki. “The board and the senior management took more than a few years looking at the numbers.”

Financially, it was just no longer feasible, she said, given the costs of maintaining facilities in a historic building. The numbers did not add up, and the COVID- 19 pandemic did not help, either.

“We were watching carefully because the membership — basically, it kept dropping,” she said.

Membership in the YWCA Health & Wellness program plummeted from about 1,000 members pre-pandemic to only about 250 today.

Of those 250 members, she said, only about 50 actively use the facilities.

“Many people who used to exercise here were people who were working downtown,” she said. “Those were people who already had parking. They would come here to exercise before going to work or after work.”

When pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, and in-person classes were offered once again, many members did not return and let their memberships lapse because they had already shifted their lifestyles to exercising elsewhere.

The critical mass of office workers has not returned to downtown Honolulu, either, she said.

Many downtown companies still have employees who are telecommuting full-time or in a hybrid work format, telecommuting part of the time and working in the office just a few days of the week.

“People are not fully back, and we really don’t know if it will ever be back to the way it was,” she said.

Enrollment fees for the Health & Wellness program are only $40 a month for members, she said. Many enrollments are subsidized by health insurance, which is capped at $30 per month.

Namiki said the YWCA looked at various scenarios, including whether to raise monthly fees or extend hours for the fitness center beyond the current, shortened closing time of 6 p.m. weekdays, but the financials still did not pencil out.

If hours were extended, the YWCA would need to hire security because the area empties out, she said, and safety is a growing issue.

The announcement was posted in January to YWCA’s website, sent to members via email, and will be followed by hard-copy letters.

Reaction, revival efforts

Rick Handy of Kahaluu, a longtime Health & Wellness member, is sad to see the program go.

Handy works at Merrill Lynch across the street and fits in a half- hour swim during his lunch breaks.

He has been swimming at the pool for more than 10 years, and until a recent injury, swam five days a week. It is the perfect pool, he said, in an architecturally wonderful place and he will miss it greatly.

“The stock market closes at 11 a.m. half of the year, so I can walk here, swim, go back, have lunch and go back to work,” he said. “I’m definitely going to miss it, the staff — everything about (it) is pure aloha. … It’s all family.”

Romala Radcliff of Honolulu is also saddened to hear of the closure, so much so that she and others have launched a group effort to save it.

The “Save Health and Fitness at the Y” is an ad hoc group of more than 50 members that wants to save the program, and members say they believe it can be financially viable.

They have launched a website and written a letter to the YWCA board and Gov. Josh Green, with plans to meet with district representatives to advocate for the program.

The Health & Wellness program has served the physical, mental and social needs of a multicultural, multi-age community for over a century, the group noted in their letter to the governor.

“It’s a wonderful asset for downtown, and we’re concerned because we want to see the rebirth of Chinatown and downtown” said Radcliff. “It’s a great place to meet a cross-section of the community that you wouldn’t ordinarily meet, and it’s allowed terrific friendships to grow.”

Radcliff said classes at the nonprofit YWCA are more community oriented, and she loves the instructors who range in age from their 30s to their 80s.

They believe there is a potential to increase enrollment through marketing, and volunteers are willing to help in this effort.

“We would love them to keep going, and we would be willing to help look for grants, and to pay more,” she said.

Century-long history

When renowned California architect Julia Morgan designed the YWCA Lania­kea building at 1040 Richards St. in 1927, she incorporated the swimming pool as a place where women could go.

At that time, said Namiki, women were not encouraged to exercise because they were thought to be too frail, and were not in general allowed to swim in public.

YWCA Oahu began offering fitness classes for women, including recreational and athletic programs such as tennis and swimming programs, as early as 1906.

The YWCA Laniakea, however, is not closing, and continues its mission of “eliminating racism, empowering women.”

It continues to run a number of programs, including its Dress for Success program that has been ongoing for 20 years, and the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership, which offers a variety of services.

There is also the Enterprising Women of Color Business Center, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency to provide diverse women entrepreneurs with resources, training and counseling.

Laniakea also acquired the Bella Project and runs “Shop YWCA,” a platform where people can shop for products from local women- owned small businesses.

Several Maui businesses are participating, said Namiki, with funds supporting workforce development and recovery.

Also, Cafe Julia remains open for lunch during weekdays and can be reserved for events such as weddings.

The pool will still be available for rent to school swim clubs, community groups and lifeguards.

The aquatics program at the YWCA’s Kokokahi facility in Kaneohe is not impacted.

“Right now we really want to help our members through this transition,” said Namiki. “I understand it’s difficult, and I totally understand it’s a big change in their lives.”