"Racquet And Tennis Club: Some History And Some Memories" 1965 RUSHMORE, George Mead
$1,200
RUSHMORE, George Mead
Rushmore, a club member for 22 years, offers a deeply personal and informative history of one of New York City's most elite private clubs, located at 370 Park Avenue in a landmark building by McKim, Mead & White.
The book includes:
Early origins of racquet sports in New York (pre-Revolutionary War)
The club’s development and relocation
Rich anecdotes about champions, members, and traditions
Coverage of court tennis, squash tennis, billiards, backgammon, and cards
Reflections on the club staff and culture
Illustrated with historical images, including a full-page reproduction of a drawing of the club by William A. Moore.
[107] pp.
Privately Printed
1965
Edition limited to 500 copies of which this is No. 130
Stamped: Jack E. McGregor
Jack Edwin McGregor (born September 22, 1934) is an American former politician who served as Pennsylvania State Senator from Pittsburgh and the founder of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins.
8 1/4" x 5 5/8
The Racquet and Tennis Club, familiarly known as the R&T, is a private social and athletic club at 370 Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
History
The Racquet Court Club opened in 1876 at 55 West 26th Street. It had two racquets courts, an indoor running track and two bowling alleys, but it did not have a tennis court. In 1890, it merged into the newly incorporated Racquet and Tennis Club, which planned to build a tennis court, moving the following year to a second, larger club house at 27 West 43rd Street (1891). This second club house had two racquets courts, one fives court and one court tennis court. The Club moved to its third, and current, home in 1918.
Building
The R&T's current clubhouse was designed by William Symmes Richardson, a partner at McKim, Mead, and White. The facility was built on a parcel offered for lease by a member of the club, Robert Goelet. Richardson, who had primary design responsibility for Pennsylvania Station and the Hotel Pennsylvania, proposed an integrated Italian Renaissance style and his firm's proposal was presented to the membership for approval in April 1916. In addition to offering its members more spacious amenities, the move to Park Avenue afforded more consistent natural light for the skylit playing courts, as well a generally more desirable location. Construction began on December 20, 1916 and was completed on September 7, 1918. The builder was Mark Edlitz, and the estimated cost was $500,000. Board of Directors at this time included financier Ogden Mills and sportsman Harry Payne Whitney