KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? An infectious 1970s disco hit proclaimed how fun it is to stay at the YMCA. Trouble is, it’s not so easy to get a room anymore.

On Saturday, the building in downtown Kansas City, Kan., closed its doors after 77 years as a YMCA dormitory, the last operation of its kind in the Kansas City area. Nationwide, the dorms once considered the centerpiece of the Y’s programs have been disappearing as the nonprofit refocuses its mission.

“It really doesn’t fit in with the current plans for YMCAs — not just in Kansas City, but in the entire nation,” said Bill Hutton, a member of the executive board of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City.

Once, the 77 rooms for rent here were among 100,000 operated by the YMCA across the country. About 75 buildings are still in operation.

Since first opening rooms in Chicago in 1867, the YMCA has attracted a bohemian crowd — travelers and the down-and-out and people in search of a no-frills place to rent.

Notables from Martin Luther King Jr. to Jack Kerouac have stayed in YMCA rooms.

Don Reynolds has lived in the Kansas City, Kan., home for more than a decade. Rent is $250 for a room with a single bed, chair, dresser and closet, with a communal bathroom down the hall.

Now 60, Reynolds said he planned to linger behind as the building closed its doors.

“I kind of thought maybe I’d be the last one to go,” he said.

The local YMCA board decided three years ago to close its building here, while keeping the adjacent health and community center open.