The Shanghai Young Men’s Christian Association Building

The Shanghai Young Men’s Christian Association Building

The Shanghai Young Men’s Christian Association Building is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

The Shanghai Young Men’s Christian Association Building

Now known as the Sports Club, it is located at 150 West Nanjing Road and was built in the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932). Covering a land area of 1,933 square meters and a total floor area of 11,400 square meters, the building features nine stories at the front and eleven at the back. It was designed by the firm of Harold Sargent, utilizing a frame structure.

The building has a U-shaped layout. The first to third floors house an entertainment hall, a reading hall, and a dining hall, along with facilities such as a swimming pool, while the floors above the third are dedicated to guest rooms. The building exhibits an eclectic architectural style that combines elements of Romanesque and Art Deco. The exterior is clad with decorative ceramic tiles in varying shades forming intricate patterns. The facades on the first to third floors and the top level feature arched windows inspired by Romanesque design and stylized classical columns. From the fourth floor upwards, the design employs raised and recessed strip decorations — the raised strips are set against yellow walls adorned with small brown diamond patterns, while the recessed strips in dark brown encase regularly spaced window openings, all framed by light-colored floral motifs beneath the windows. At the main entrance stand two metal lampposts, less than one and a half meters tall, both posts and bases ornamented with bas-reliefs of plants.

In 1953, the building was repurposed as the Shanghai Sports Club, becoming a comprehensive sports facility. Alongside neighboring structures such as the Park Hotel and the Overseas Chinese Hotel, it contributes to the distinctive architectural ensemble of the area. The second floor now houses the Sports Museum.

It was designated as a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai in 1989.