About
181 West 135th Street
CPCA is headquartered in the landmarked former West 135th Street Branch YMCA in Harlem, later known as the Jackie Robinson YMCA Youth Center.
A building with a civil rights history
The West 135th Street Branch YMCA opened as a center of Black civic, intellectual, and athletic life in Harlem. Over the decades its rooms hosted lodging, education, organizing, and mentorship, and the building was later known as the Jackie Robinson YMCA Youth Center. It is a landmarked structure and part of Harlem's documented architectural record.
Why Harlem, deliberately
CPCA's choice of headquarters is deliberate. An organization dedicated to protecting community builders belongs in a building whose history is the history of community building: a place where institutions were created by and for the people they served, often without access to conventional capital.
Access to credit has never been distributed evenly. The developers, small businesses, and community organizations most likely to be steered toward expensive, opaque private credit are frequently those with the fewest alternatives. Working from 181 West 135th Street keeps that reality at the center of CPCA's mandate.
Preservation and stewardship
CPCA operates within the building's landmark protections and treats stewardship of its history as part of the organization's public obligation. Historical materials on this page will be expanded as archival documentation and licensed photography are assembled.