Ymca Building

The YMCA Building, located at 161-179 Granby Street and 1-7 East Street, was constructed between 1898 and 1901 by AE Sawday in collaboration with Draper and Tudor Walters. This building features red brick with Ketton stone dressings and likely has a Swithland slate roof, adorned with stone-banded ornamental brick stacks at the ridge and ends. It is designed in an elaborate Late Victorian Baroque style and consists of three storeys and an attic, forming an L-plan with an additional front on East Street.

The main facade facing Granby Street showcases gabled end bays and a nine-window range at the first floor, which includes a curving bay at the left corner, along with a five-window range on East Street. The facade is characterized by attached giant columns spanning the first and second floors, supporting an entablature with a bracketed cornice. The columns feature blocks at their lower parts and are supported on tall brackets with angel terms. The first-floor windows are embellished with finely sculptured figures in the corners, representing themes such as Architecture, Sculpture, and possibly the Continents. The second-floor windows are paired and have rusticated surrounds with sculpted brackets. Dormers with a section of balustrade are located above the cornice, and the central bay features a rusticated entrance with a garlanded triple keystone and an ornamental curving bay above.

The shop fronts on either side are primarily original but have some coverings. The gables at the ends exhibit similarly elaborate yet distinct treatments, with a columned curved bay at the left corner supported by a shell-like feature over an arched entrance. The facade on East Street includes ornamental frames for the ground floor windows and oriels above. While the interior has not been formally inspected, some publicly accessible areas have been seen previously, including a theatre with a balcony supported by columns and an ornamental front balustrade.