In 1929, the YWCA Boston, the first YWCA in the nation, opened its headquarters at 140 Clarendon Street. At the time, the mix of residential, educational, recreational and administrative spaces serving women was considered daring and controversial. The hotel for unchaperoned women on the top floors was appropriately named “The Pioneer.”

Over time, building uses changed. The hotel became apartments for both men and women in the 1970s. Classrooms once used for teaching cooking and typing became computer labs where young people made digital videos. New community institutions like the Snowden International High School and the Lyric Stage Company of Boston moved in.

In 2004, to keep up with building and program needs, the YWCA undertook a massive, $30 million renovation project, touching nearly every inch of the fourteen stories at 140 Clarendon. In the summer of 2005, 140 Clarendon re-opened, rebuilt and refreshed, offering a mix residential, hotel, office and cultural spaces for generations to come.

Listings of current tenants at 140 Clarendon:

• Hotel 140
• The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
• YWCA of Greater Boston