Agents, Lambert Smith Hampton have listed the freehold of the 19,526 sq ft, four-storey building at £850,000.
The building is described as a “multi-let freehold investment” with a “current income of £155,388 per annum”. Agents say there is “opportunity to generate further income” by letting currently unoccupied space in the building.
Rental income is said to be “subject to increase with a new agreed lease to the YMCA over part of the building on sale of the property.”
The ground-floor has an entrance hallway, a gymnasium, ancillary space, office accommodation and access to the passenger lift and stairs.
The first floor has office accommodation, a dance studio and ancillary space and access to the Llewellyn Hall Theatre.
The second floor has further office accommodation and ancillary space with the third floor offering more office accommodation and a sports hall.
There are W.C and staff facilities on each floor.
In addition to the main building, there are also two self-contained commercial units on the ground floor accessed off The Kingsway – a café / restaurant unit and a former day nursery.
The sale does not include the car park adjacent to the YMCA building.
(Images: Lambert Smith Hampton)
YMCA Swansea Chief Executive, Richard Williams said the building has been on the market for a number of months and has only recently been advertised by way of the external signage.
Mr Williams said: “YMCA Swansea is evolving to deliver our life changing youthwork in a more appropriate setting. The feedback from everyone involved is that our new city centre youth space is perfect and we have plans to both fully operate from the space and to enhance it further.
“As a result, the board of YMCA Swansea took the decision last year to seek interest from potential new owners of our main building.
“This decision was not taken lightly, given that the building contains so much social history of both Swansea and our charity, but it is one that will ultimately help us to work with more and more Young People.
“It is business as usual for all of our tenants and partners and we will work hard with both them and any new owners to keep it that way. The fitness centre also continues as normal.
“Our work will continue from the site and we look to remain in the building in the much more visible youthwork space (which was formerly the creche).
“We are now working with a number of partners across Swansea and can be found in many schools.
“We are looking to work with the new owners to ensure that it is business as usual for the many people and services that can be found within the building (of which we will be one) whilst at the same time being able to focus on our core purpose- the Young People of Swansea.”
The building was constructed in 1913 after fundraising by the YMCA, with teams of young people attempting to raise £12,000 in 12 days through pledges of money for the new building. They succeed but the building with the fit out ends up costing £20,000.
The architect of the building, Glendenning Moxham was also responsible for the former police station on Orchard Street and the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.
The YMCA was briefly taken over by the Red Cross during the First World War as a hospital from 1914, but was handed back to the YMCA in 1919.
Dylan Thomas famously performed at the Llewellyn Hall in the building in the 1930s
After surviving the Second World War Bliz in 1941, albeit with some damage, it also fought off a compulsory purchase order in 1946 for the demolition of the building as part of the Swansea rebuild.
The building was refurbished in 2012 ahead of the building’s centenary celebrations in 2013.
