05/02/2026
🤢 From garbage to GORGEOUS ✨
When we found the Historic YWCA at State and Adams it had no heat. No plumbing. Over 50 partition walls had carved a once-grand landmark into a maze of forgotten rooms. It was close — very close — to being lost forever.
This room alone was three cramped spaces with dropped ceilings and active mold. For years during our restoration it was where we staged our demo debris. Garbage bags, broken materials, despair.
Today it’s one of the most beautiful rooms in Mason City.
We took down the walls, remediated the mold, and opened it back up the way it was meant to be — light pouring in from three directions, every inch of trim recreated board by board from 1918 documentation. The tin ceiling is new, chosen intentionally to honor the women who built this place.
Women like Lydia Barrett. May MacNider. Carrie Chapman Catt. Mason City suffragettes who believed a building like this could change lives. They were right. We don’t take that lightly.
We’ve watched what happened to Mohawk Square. We refuse to let the Historic YWCA meet the same fate.
On May 9th, the Historic YWCA at State and Adams comes alive for the Spring Art Crawl 2026.
The main gallery will host a stunning travel photography exhibition by Minneapolis photographer Carole Wilson. Throughout the building, studio spaces will showcase an incredible lineup of artists — Andrea Blackmon, fiber artist flying in from Washington DC; Macy Taylor, multidisciplinary artist; Shane Taylor, rustic wood assemblage; Kellilynn Robitaille, fused glass artist; Christy Harp, painter and designer; Susanne Crane, painter and writer — and more.
Shop one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day gifts, enjoy food trucks, and let the kids loose in the family activity spaces. This is a come-as-you-are, stay-as-long-as-you-want kind of day.
This very room will be hosting a massage therapy pop-up all day. Treat yourself. Treat Mom. You’ve earned it.
Building tour at 3pm — hear the full story of what it took to save this place.
Cap the night with Elisha Marin and friends playing live at the Principal Pavilion, 7–8pm.
Free and open to all. May 9, 10am–5pm.
📣 And soon — this room becomes yours. This stunning, light-filled suite with windows in three directions and two separate entrances will be available for rent as office space very soon. If you’ve been looking for a workspace that actually inspires you, stay tuned.
📍 Yes! We Create Art Gallery · Historic YWCA · 2 South Adams Ave · Downtown Mason City
🌐 www.SaveTheY.org
