Union Club of the City of New York T H E D E V E L O P M E N T O F ATHLETICS at the Union Club of the City of New York

T H E D E V E L O P M E N T O F ATHLETICS AT THE Union ClUb of THE CITy OF NEw York T H E D E V E L O P M E N T O F ATHLETICS AT THE Union ClUb of THE CITy OF NEw York Dedicated to the gentlemen of the Union Club What would life be without games by Brendan J. Contant Copyright © 2009, The Union Club THE DEVELOPMENT of ATHLETICS AT THE Union Club of the City of NEw York in the beginning Between the soup and saddle of mutton, the three men entered into a difference of opinion over their respective yachts. Osgood Prior to the construction of the present clubhouse, suggested the shallow centerboard design of the Vesta could never survive, the idea of sport for our members was relegated to much less compete, in the open ocean. Rising to the challenge, Lorillard the outdoors, confined to universities or left to those and Osgood wagered $30,000 each, a sum greater than the cost of institutions that existed purely for the benefit of athletic their yachts. For the $60,000 purse they would race from New York endeavors. That being said, there was a natural evolution across the Atlantic to the Needles off the Isle of Wight, winner-take- that took place as the interests of the Club members all. They planned to depart in December during the most inhospitable changed from the initial need for “convenience and season of the year. Soon after, James Gordon Bennett, Jr., the twenty- advantages of a well kept hotel” to larger facilities that six year old heir to the New York Herald, entered his 107-foot schooner were equipped with impressive rooms dedicated to parlor Henrietta. While this raised the stakes to $90,000, the press estimated games and billiards. that bookies handled a million dollars in additional bets on the outcome. While indoor sport was still beyond comprehension, Eight days out, Fleetwing encountered a furious gale and heavy the confines of the warm and elegant Union Club dining seas which swept the entire night watch overboard. In a disturbing, much room provided the perfect backdrop for concocting what discussed detail, two spokes were missing from the wheel, having gone was to become known as the Great Ocean yacht race that over the side in the grip of the steadfast helmsman. Six men were lost. is credited as the genesis of Ocean racing: After thirteen days, the winning yacht arrived off the Isle of Wight. The On October 26, 1866, at the Union Club’s fourth clubhouse at Fifth Henrietta rounded the Needles on Christmas day, nine hours in the lead. Avenue and 21st Street, three men dined together: George Osgood, a son-in-law of Commodore Vanderbilt and owner of the 106-foot keel This poignant story captures a glimpse of how men of schooner Fleetwing, Osgood’s brother, Franklin, and Pierre Lorillard, a certain means were able to dream big, innovate and Jr., owner of the 105-foot yacht Vesta. compete during the Club’s formative years. In many ways Previous page: The sixth and current clubhouse of the Union Club of the City of New York. Opened August 28, 1933. Delano and Aldrich, architects. Left: The fourth clubhouse of the Union Club (1855-1903). The Challenge which began Ocean Racing was made in its dining room. Above: The Great Ocean Yacht Race, won by Henrietta, foreground, followed by Fleetwing and Vesta. 3 we live in a completely different world today; however, welCome to the fifth floor the basic interest in competition has not changed one bit. whether in a game of bridge, on a backgammon table, The exterior of the Union Club, a quiet, limestone over a round of poker, or during a billiards tournament, Georgian design, clothes a complexly organized, elegantly the tenets of a friendly contest have always been embraced proportioned set of classical rooms including squash by our membership. This booklet has been dedicated to courts and locker rooms housed behind a high mansard the history of athletics and how this particular form of roof. The dressing-room lounge, one of the most union has been most instrumental to the development of astounding rooms in New york City, has been treated as our Club. a tented sanctuary adorned with two fireplaces and rattan furnishings. t h e h i s t o r y o f t w o exCeptional institUtions a new game for members Founded in 1836, the Union Club is the oldest urban In the early 1900’s squash began to grow in popularity, social club in the country. It has often been referred to especially in cities where demands for space and time as the Mother of Clubs because it was from the Union made this an ideal sport for those in pursuit of athletic Club and its membership that many other private clubs challenges. The introduction of squash into the Club in New york and elsewhere have sprung. Patterned after was not accomplished without effort mainly due to Enos the great London clubs that had begun forming in the Curtin, for whom the fifth floor changing lounge has eighteenth century, the Union Club was organized to been named, and who was elected a Member in 1929. In promote social intercourse among its members. while the book, History of the Union Club 1836 to 1986, Mr. Curtin, squash was not initially part of this plan or even in a former world war I ambulance driver for the American existence when the original members set out to build Field Service in France, a member of the civilian staff this venerable institution, it too was derived from of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower in world war II and an a noteworthy establishment in London . debtor’s investor who helped direct advocacy groups for the blind, prison. was interviewed in 1986 and recalled: Never officially born, but having evolved out of a need I forget just how I got involved, but soon after I became a Member for sport and scarcity of space, a game called “racquets” I was asked to explain to the Building Committee why I thought we was played in the early eighteenth century at the Fleet needed squash courts…younger members were moving away from the Prison, London’s notorious debtor’s jail. Played in an city but they wanted someplace to play squash before they went home open courtyard, it would be hard to recognize racquets in the evening. Eventually I was asked to see the President of the Club, as the predecessor of our current brand of squash, had it so I went to his very impressive office downtown, where I was ushered not been for the use of a racquet, ball and wall. In time, in by his secretary. He motioned me to a chair next to his desk and the game of racquets increased in popularity and moved invited me to speak . .which I did, about the younger generation indoors. Then it began to be played in schools. In the wanting to play squash, and to bring in new and younger members, late 1800’s Harrow School developed a new version of and so forth. I finally ran out of breath, and paused, and he said to racquets for underclassmen as a means to develop skill me, “Mr. Curtin, evidently you do not seem to realize that the Union and keep the youngsters out of the way of more seasoned Club is not interested in attracting the type of person who wishes to players. The new game was called “squash racquets.” In play squash.” That cooked my goose for the moment. However, others the late 1880’s squash arrived in the United States, via joined me and I continued to talk to the committee, and finally it was St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. agreed that three singles courts would be installed in the new building. Top right: Debtors playing rackets in Fleet Prison (1827). Bottom right: Fifth Floor dressing-room lounge. 4 We also lobbied for a doubles court, which would have cost $15,000 Ever since its introduction to the Union Club, squash at the time, but that was turned down. has more than paid its own way. Having proven to be a most popular activity in the Club, there are more than The present clubhouse at 69th Street was opened to the 350 members who play squash, of whom over 150 play Members in 1933, with three singles squash courts on the regularly. Over the course of a month, there are, on Fifth Floor, together with their adjoining and unique average, more than 1,000 matches played on the courts. changing-room and Turkish Bath facility. It was the first It is hard to imagine the Club without the influx time in the history of the Club that provision had been of new members at least partially drawn to our courts, made for a pastime which could be described as more let alone the revenue and entertainment value of this physically active than the playing of billiards. facility. Many of these individuals have gone on and lent support to other activities within the Club from serving foresight on committees, to establishing new societies, to acting as Governors and even becoming President. Since the Enos Curtin was not alone in his vision on how athletics beginning of the squash program in August of 1933, we could prove to be more than just a modest diversion for suspect that 11 of our last 16 Club Presidents have been club members.

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