By the late 19th Century, Philadelphia had apparently already established itself as a sports-crazed town. Around this growing reputation formed the Athletic Club of the Schuylkill Navy, a club for rowers interested in other sports. According to our colorful friends at Philaphilia, the club was formed in 1884. Shortly thereafter, the club constructed a headquarters at 1626-1628 Arch St., around the corner from the recently constructed Broad Street Station. The image here below, taken from G.W. Bromley’s Philadelphia Atlas, shows the newly built clubhouse in 1895.
The photo below, taken from building architect Willis G. Hale’s ‘City of Beautiful Buildings,’ shows the structure just a few years after its opening. The caption notes that the original occupants of the building, the Athletic Club of the Schuylkill Navy, became the Athletic Club of Philadelphia shortly thereafter.
According to Rand, McNally & Co.’s Handy Guide to Philadelphia and Environs, this was the most important of Philadelphia’s amateur athletics clubs. The text tells that “the basement is given over to a bowling alley, Turkish baths, a swimming pool, bicycle room, and the electric light plant; the first floor to parlors, reading-rooms, etc.; and the third floor to a gymnasium, in which there is a cinder running track.” In spite of its importance, Philaphilia tells that the building was structurally unsound, given over to leaks, creaking and poor fire safety conditions. This was probably a factor in the Athletic Club’s departure. By 1915, the building had been purchased and renovated by the Grand Fraternity. The new occupant’s name would be added to the greystone archway. This is seen here below in a Department of Records photo taken in 1968.
The photo was unfortunately produced during the building’s final throes of existence. The clubhouse was demolished in 1972. Today, the entire 1600 block of Arch is dominated by just a two large structures: The Phoenix luxury apartments and the modern office space at 1650 Arch. These structures have rendered obsolete the 20th century addresses noted in the account above. Today, the location of this distinctive building corresponds either with the Arch Street entrance of the Phoenix condo building or more likely with part of 1650 Arch.
