Here rises the Young Men's Institute Building, often called the YMI Building. Designed by Richard Sharp Smith and built in 1892–1893, this 2½-story, pebbledash-coated masonry structure wears brick, stone, and wood accents like a civic suit. From its earliest days it housed shops, residence rooms, meeting rooms and a wide variety of functions serving Asheville's African American community.
In 1892 African American leaders Isaac Dickson and Dr. Edward S. Stephens approached George Vanderbilt to commission this building for the African American men who helped build the Biltmore Estate. While living here, Dr. Stephens was frustrated by the racial discrimination he witnessed and by the perception among white Asheville residents that black people were not capable of being self-reliant or assuming the responsibilities of citizenship. The YMI was restored and reestablished as the YMI Cultural Center in 1980, and today it hosts a variety of intercultural programs and events.
You are standing inside the Downtown Asheville Historic District at a place that has been a workplace, a meeting hall, a residence, and a cultural anchor for generations. Restored as the YMI Cultural Center in 1980, the pebbledash walls still host intercultural programs and events today.