Racquet Club of Philadelphia
| Type | Social club |
|---|---|
| 23-0998230 | |
| Headquarters | 219 S. 16th Street |
| Location | |
| Website | www |
Philadelphia Racquet Club | |
The Racquet Club of Philadelphia in 2010 | |
| Coordinates | 39°56′55.9″N 75°10′4.74″W / 39.948861°N 75.1679833°W |
| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | Horace Trumbauer |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002326 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 1, 1979[2] |
The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (RCOP) is a private social club and athletic club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has facilities for squash, real tennis, and racquets. The club is ranked in the Top 20 Athletic Clubs on the Platinum Club of America list.[3]
Operations
The Racquet Club operates under 501(c)(7) Social and Recreation Clubs; in 2023 it claimed total revenue of $3,144,481, total expenses of $3,921,212, and total assets of $8,354,469.[4] The separate Historic Preservation & Education Fund of the Racquet Club of Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity since 2015.[5] In 2023 it claimed total revenue of $166,556 and total assets of $210,960.[6]
History
Established in 1889, the Club started its life in a facility at 923 Walnut Street. Under the leadership of George D. Widener, the current 16th Street Clubhouse was built by architect Horace Trumbauer. Historian Nathaniel Burt described the new 1907 Clubhouse as "by far the best appointed...of all Philadelphia clubs."[7] The clubhouse is one of the first reinforced concrete structures designed in Philadelphia, and also includes the world's first above grade swimming pool, designed by the noted bridge builders Roebling Construction Company. The building's red-brick, Georgian design, is evocative of historic Philadelphia, and the Clubhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Club was the site of the invention of squash doubles by Frederick C. Tompkins. The new building had a space that was too large for a standard squash court but too small for further locker facilities and Tomkins recommended that it be used for squash doubles.[8][9]
The RCOP's racquet sport facilities include 6 international squash singles courts, 1 squash doubles court, 1 court tennis court, and 1 racquets court. The Club also has overnight rooms along with a fitness center for the use of members and sponsored guests, as well as a bar and serves lunch daily. It is open to members 365 days a year and is located on 16th Street between Walnut and Locust in the heart of Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square area.
The Club has hosted many international court tennis, racquets, and squash doubles tournaments and has produced notable U.S. national champions including Jay Gould, Jock Soutar, Stanley Pearson and Morris Clothier.
The U.S. Squash Hall of Fame was briefly at the Club until moving to Yale University.[10]
Champion Members
- Jock Soutar[11]
- Jay Gould II
- Morris Clothier
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Richard J. Webster (January 1979). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP Philadelphia Racquet Club. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 3, 2026. (Downloading may be slow.)
- ^ "Platinum Clubs of America® 2016". Platinum Clubs of America®. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ "Racquet Club of Philadelphia". candid.org. Candid. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ^ "The Historic Preservation and Education Fund of the Racquet Club of Philadelphia". rcopfund.org. The Historic Preservation and Education Fund of the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ^ "Historic Preservation & Education Fund of the Racquet Club of Philadelphia". candid.org. Candid. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ^ Nathaniel Burt, Perennial Philadelphians: The Anatomy of an American Aristocracy, Little, Brown and Company, 1963 (reprinted 1999), p. 268
- ^ History of the Sport of Doubles Archived 2010-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Squash Canada
- ^ Origin of Doubles Part 1 squashtalk.com
- ^ "Hall of Fame & Museum". U.S. Squash. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
- ^ "Williams and Soutar Ready for First Game of Series for Title". New York Times. April 5, 1913.
... Jock Soutar, who holds a similar position with the Philadelphia Racquet and Tennis Club ...