Rochester Athletic Club Collection

The Rochester Athletic Club formed in 1882, with a membership of 100 led by Dr. Mallory as president and L. E. Mellen as instructor. The club grew rapidly, largely through the efforts of secretary W. H. Montgomery and instructor L. D. Eldridge, reaching 400 members in 1892. The club met regularly for physical training and club meets in track and field events. It also fielded teams in such sports as baseball and rowing who competed against amateur teams from other cities. In 1892, the club considered building a clubhouse in South Park (today's Genesee Valley Park), where it already had a boat house. However, this did not come to pass, and the clubhouse was ultimately erected at 74 Clinton Avenue North in 1902. The club thrived for decades, with membership peaking at near a thousand, and many of the prominent members of Rochester society joining the organization. In 1931, the club absorbed the former Seneca Athletic Club and remodeled the clubhouse. However, the financial pressure of the Great Depression led to the Rochester Athletic Club soon becoming insolvent. It closed in April of 1932 and declared bankruptcy two months later.

The Rochester Athletic Association, source of part of the material present in this collection, was founded by members of the Riverside Rowing Association in 1873. The Athletic Association was a joint-stock venture, the proceeds of which allowed land for a new clubhouse to be purchased on the east side of the Genesee on "the island" near the foot of Griffith Street. There, a new clubhouse with dressing rooms and a gymnasium in the rear was erected. This organization lasted but a few years, as the land and structure were sold back to the Riverside Rowing Club in March of 1877.