The iron gate on Park Avenue doesn't look like much to the average tourist walking toward Grand Central. Most people just breeze past the Italian Renaissance facade of 370 Park Avenue without a second thought. But if you’re into court sports, that building is basically hallowed ground. The Racquet and Tennis Club is one of those places that feels like it shouldn't exist in 2026. It’s old. It’s quiet. It is fiercely, almost aggressively, private. While the rest of the world is busy tracking steps on a smartwatch or arguing about AI on social media, people inside these walls are playing a game that hasn’t changed much since the 16th century.
It’s weirdly fascinating. Honestly, you'd think a place like this would have faded away decades ago. Instead, it remains the spiritual home of "real tennis"—the complicated, quirky ancestor of the modern game we see at the US Open.
The Secret Architecture of the Racquet and Tennis Club
Most people hear "tennis" and think of yellow balls and green felt. At the Racquet and Tennis Club, it’s different. The building itself was designed by McKim, Mead & White back in 1918. Those guys were the rockstars of architecture in their day. They built the original Pennsylvania Station and the Brooklyn Museum. When they designed this club, they weren't just making a gym; they were building a fortress for the social elite of New York.
Inside, the layout is kind of a labyrinth. You’ve got the court tennis courts—which are different from regular tennis courts because they have walls, sloping roofs called penthouses, and a net that sags in the middle. It’s essentially "human chess" played with a rock-hard ball. Then you have the squash courts and the racquets courts. Not "racquetball." Just racquets. It’s a faster, more dangerous game played with a ball that feels like a marble and travels at speeds that would make a pro baseball player blink.
Why does the architecture matter? Because you can’t just build these courts anywhere. A real tennis court is massive and requires specific dimensions that modern real estate developers would find hilarious. By staying in that specific building, the club preserves a version of sports history that is literally baked into the stone.
Why Court Tennis Isn't Just "Old School"
If you’ve never seen court tennis (or jeu de paume as the French call it), you’re missing out on something genuinely bizarre. The scoring is like regular tennis, but that’s where the similarities end. You can hit the ball off the walls. There are "galleries" which are basically openings in the walls where spectators sit, and if you hit the ball into certain openings, you win the point instantly.
It is a game of angles and physics.
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Many people assume these clubs are just places for old guys to drink gin and talk about the stock market. While there’s certainly some of that, the actual athleticism required for these "ancient" sports is intense. I’ve seen guys in their 20s come in from a D1 college tennis background and get absolutely dismantled by a 50-year-old club member who knows how to use the "dedans" or the "tambour" (a specific angled wall).
It's about craft.
The Racquet and Tennis Club isn't just a New York thing, either. It’s part of a global, albeit tiny, network. You have the Jeu de Paume in Paris, the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace in England, and a handful of clubs in places like Philadelphia and Boston. If you’re a member at one, you’re basically part of a global secret society of people who obsessed over a sport that most of the world doesn't even know exists.
The Social Weight of 370 Park Avenue
Let's be real for a second: the exclusivity is the point. You can't just walk in and sign up for a membership with a credit card. It’s one of the last bastions of the traditional "private club" model. Some people hate that. They see it as an outdated relic of a class system that should have died out with the Gilded Age.
Others see it as a necessary preservation of a specific lifestyle.
In a world where everything is accessible and "content" is everywhere, there is a certain value in a place that says "no." The club has famously strict rules. For a long time, the dress code was essentially "white everything." No cell phones in the public areas. No business papers on the tables. It forces you to actually talk to people.
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Imagine that.
The social hierarchy here is built on longevity. It’s not about who has the most followers on Instagram; it’s about who has been showing up to play the 5:00 PM squash match for the last thirty years. It creates a weirdly stable community in a city that is constantly changing.
Misconceptions About the Modern Club Scene
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that the Racquet and Tennis Club is struggling. People love to write "death of the private club" think-pieces. But actually, these places are seeing a weird resurgence.
Younger professionals are getting burnt out on digital everything. They’re looking for "third places" that aren't a Starbucks or a loud bar.
- The "Analogue" Appeal: There is something satisfying about hitting a ball with a wooden racquet. It vibrates differently.
- Networking (The Real Kind): It’s not about handing out business cards. It’s about playing a grueling match with someone and then sharing a drink. That creates a bond that a LinkedIn message never will.
- The History: You’re walking on floors that have been there for over a century. You’re looking at trophies that were awarded before the Great Depression.
It's also worth noting that while the club is traditional, it isn't a museum. They’ve had to modernize things like the back-end operations and fitness facilities. You can't have a world-class club in 2026 without a decent gym and top-tier dining. But they do it in a way that doesn't scream "we’re trying to be hip."
How to Get Involved (If You Aren't a Billionaire)
Okay, so you aren't going to be a member of the Racquet and Tennis Club tomorrow. Most people won't be. But that doesn't mean the world of racquet sports is closed off.
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If the history of these clubs interests you, you should look into the United States Court Tennis Association (USCTA). They are the governing body for the sport in the US. They often hold tournaments that are open to the public to watch. Seeing a match at a place like the Philadelphia Racquet Club or the Tuxedo Club can be an eye-opening experience.
Also, squash and "racquets" have different entry points. Squash is everywhere. Most major cities have "open" clubs that offer a similar vibe without the 10-year waiting list and the "who-do-you-know" vetting process.
The Technical Side: Why the Gear is Different
If you look at the racquets used at the club, they look broken. The heads are often slightly lopsided. This isn't a manufacturing error. For court tennis, the racquet is designed that way to make it easier to pick the ball up off the floor and to put a heavy "cut" or backspin on the ball.
The balls are even crazier. They aren't pressurized gas-filled rubber. They are hand-sewn. Usually, they have a core made of bits of cloth or cork, wrapped in twine, and then covered in a layer of melton wool. They are heavy. If you get hit by one, it leaves a bruise.
This is the kind of detail that keeps the Racquet and Tennis Club alive. It's the commitment to the difficult way of doing things. In an era of "fast" everything—fast food, fast fashion, fast sports—there is a profound dignity in a hand-sewn ball and a wooden racquet.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Player
If you're actually serious about getting into this world, don't just stand outside 370 Park Avenue and stare. That’s creepy. Instead, do this:
- Visit a Public Court: Go to a place like the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. They have a court tennis court that is open to the public. You can actually take a lesson there.
- Learn the Lingo: Read up on the difference between "racquets," "squash racquets," and "court tennis." If you walk into a conversation and call it "racquetball," you’ve already lost.
- Find a "Niche" Club: Look for smaller athletic clubs in your city that focus on squash. These are often the "feeder" systems for the more prestigious racquet clubs.
- Volunteer or Attend Open Events: Organizations like "StreetSquash" or "CitySquash" use these sports to help kids from underserved communities. It’s a great way to get involved in the sport’s community while doing something actually useful.
The Racquet and Tennis Club will probably be there for another hundred years. It won't change much. The paint might get a refresh, and the menu might swap out a dish or two, but the core of it—the thwack of a heavy ball against a stone wall and the quiet hum of a wood-paneled library—is stays the same. That’s why it matters. It’s a fixed point in a world that won’t stop spinning.