When the redbrick Y, designed by Louis H. Rush, was dedicated March 21, 1915 - an event that featured a famous soprano brought in from New York - the do-gooders on the board envisioned it as a haven for women who were then just starting to venture into the workforce. Germantown Y became a vocal advocate for workers' rights, the very same ones we're still talking about today, like decent wages and fixed hours. In 1946, the Y was the first Philadelphia social-service agency to integrate. By the '50s, its members were deeply involved in the civil rights movement.