It was listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2006 and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

The building was designed by noted African American architect Paul R. Williams in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.

Many recreational facilities, including public swimming pools, were racially segregated in the 1920s, and the 28th Street YMCA provided a gymnasium, swimming pool, and 52 dormitory rooms on the upper floors.

[3][4] Other sites listed pursuant to the same African Americans in Los Angeles MPS include the Angelus Funeral Home, Lincoln Theater, Second Baptist Church, Prince Hall Masonic Temple, 52nd Place Historic District, 27th Street Historic District, and two historic all-black segregated fire stations (Fire Station No.

In 2015 a major restoration was undertaken by non profit affordable housing developer Clifford Beers Housing and the Coalition for Responsible Community Development with design work led by the architecture firm Koning Eizenberg.