[2] Founded in 1909, the Yakima YWCA originally rented the second floor of Sawbridge's Hardware Store and used the gym from the First Baptist Church.

In 1920, the YWCA purchased the land for the building but they were not able to break ground until 1934, when a local businessperson Alexander Miller donated $80,000 toward the effort.

The building opened the next year and offered job placement, a gym, a library, temporary housing, and inexpensive meals to young women.

In 2023, the YWCA obtained the St. Elizabeth's School of Nursing building at the former Astria Regional Medical Center, and began converting it into a women's shelter.

Local board president Mary Remy sketched out the plans for the building and its multiple functions which architect John W. Maloney formalized into the final design.