It’s been seven months since the Ransburg YMCA closed its doors.
The building is now for sale, and some residents say it feels like the YMCA has abandoned the east side.
The nearly 54,000-square-foot building, located at 501 N. Shortridge Road, is listed at $3.25 million. The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis declined to identify interested parties or the details of potential offers for the property.
When asked if the YMCA wanted to find another nonprofit to purchase the property, Kirsten Eamon-Shine, chief brand officer for YMCA of Greater Indianapolis said the organization recognizes “how important this space has been to the surrounding neighborhood,” and is “hopeful that its next chapter will be a positive one for the community.”
Meanwhile, representatives for Premier Commercial Reality Services did not respond to Mirror Indy’s call or email asking about prospective buyers.
Jay Height, the director of the nearby Shepherd Community Center, told Mirror Indy in an email that the nonprofit made a “confidential offer” for the Ransburg building in August. As of Oct. 29, Height said Shepherd has not received a response.
Vanessa Stiles, who was a board member of the Ransburg YMCA for 14 years, hopes the building will once again be home to a community center, but worries the building is too expensive for many organizations to seriously consider buying it.
“I am concerned that they have put a price on the building that is not in good faith for what could be best for the community,” Stiles said. “My fear is they will not get that asking price. My fear is that it will sit empty on Shortridge.”
Stiles said Ransburg was a staple for the community. It offered a refrigerated food pantry with fresh produce and an early learning center. Ransburg was also home to a youth mentoring program, and a local church held meetings in the building.
The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis first announced in January that Ransburg would be closing due to “ongoing financial decisions.” Despite community efforts to save it, the building officially closed on March 31.
Neighbors feel abandoned
Yovanna Nevins and her husband joined the YMCA a few years ago. She participated in water aerobics classes and her husband exercised in the mornings before work.
Nevins remembers watching kids play basketball in the gym after a water aerobics class when she got confirmation that Ramsburg would be closing. She said she started to cry.
“I miss Ransburg,” Nevins said. “I miss our little community. But what I hate the most is the fact that there were young people, kids and elderly adults that really depended on that YMCA.”
Since Ransburg closed, Nevins and her husband have attended the Benjamin Harrison YMCA in Lawrence. While Ransburg was only seven minutes away from their home, Nevins said it can take half an hour or more to get to Fort Ben.
Some neighbors have also transferred their memberships to other YMCAs, but others have turned to different facilities all together.
Susie Cordi, a longtime eastsider and former Indianapolis city-county councilor, had been a Ransburg member for about 20 years. Her husband, Craig, also spent time serving on Ransburg’s board. After the closure, they canceled their memberships.
“They really messed up the east side,” Cordi said.
She said Ransburg was a close knit community made up of families, young adults and seniors.
“We all knew what was going on, like if somebody was sick or if somebody lost a family member,” she said. “It was just home. It was different, it was awesome and I so dearly miss the community.”
Janet Williams said she became a Ransburg member years ago to get healthy. She used the exercise equipment and even learned how to swim there.
“Now that I am a senior citizen, I was hoping to be able to use it a lot more because it was a great gathering place for the community,” Williams said.
Ransburg was always busy, she said. She doesn’t understand why it closed.
“It’s just been a great local resource for our entire community and I don’t know why they’re abandoning us,” Williams said. “I mean, what’s the deal?”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations. Sign up for our free newsletters.
Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
