Veterans Memorial Branch Y.M.C.A.

In 1946, leaders from Arlington's African American community initiated fundraising for the Veterans Memorial Branch Y.M.C.A.. Completed in 1953, this branch, led by lifelong activist Edmond C. Fleet (1902-1983), a civilian pastry chef for the United States Navy, played a crucial role in organizing social and recreational activities for Arlington's African American youth. During an era of racial segregation in recreational facilities, the Y.M.C.A. and its sponsored facilities adhered to these lines. A community room within the building hosted dances and movie screenings for neighborhood youth, as remembered by a Y.M.C.A. patron from that period.