Crescent Athletic Club photograph albums
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Abstract
The Crescent Athletic Club photograph albums date from the period 1895 to 1902 and measure .15 linear feet. The albums document summer time recreational activities of club members at the country clubhouse and boathouse that was located in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Historical note
The Crescent Athletic Club was originally founded as a football club in 1884 in Brooklyn, N.Y. By 1886, the club expanded its focus to include other sports and games and was reorganized as an athletic club. Two years later, in 1888, the club was incorporated as the Crescent Athletic Club of Brooklyn. The purpose of the club was to provide its members the opportunity to socialize, exercise, and compete in sports and games.
The Club offered its members two clubhouses—the City House and the Country Club House. The City House was located in the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. In 1906, a new clubhouse, a twelve-story Italianate Beaux Arts building designed by Brooklyn Architect Frank Freeman, opened to members at the corner of Pierrepont and Clinton Streets. Amenities included a swimming pool, gymnasium, squash and handball courts, billiard room, card and game rooms, rifle and revolver range, chess room, dining hall, library, and a bowling alley offering both ten-pin and duckpin bowling. As of 2010, the building was owned by and home to Saint Ann's School.
The Country Club House was located in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn and included a club house, boat house, and a golf course. Other amenities included clay and grass tennis courts, lawn bowling, billiards, a library and reading rooms, sleeping rooms, dining facilities, and a barber shop. The Club also hosted clam bakes, outdoor concerts, and screened films during the summer.
Though the Crescent Athletic Club was considered one of the most popular athletic clubs in New York City with over 1500 members in 1902, club membership fell greatly by the 1920s and the club declared bankruptcy in 1939.
Sources:
- Letter from the Governing Committee to members, November, 1915; Crescent Athletic Club yearbooks and bulletins, ARC.178, Box 1 of 1; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Biographical note
Arthur Conklin Brush graduated from Columbia University, became a neurologist, and subsequently worked for the Kings County Hospital, the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital, and the Williamsburg Hospital. Brush also authored scholarly papers pertaining to neurology, some of which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Aside from his medical career, Brush was a member of the Crescent Athletic Club, where he participated in rowing, and was also an amateur photographer. He lived at 29 S. Portland Avenue in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Scope and Contents
The Crescent Athletic Club photograph albums date from the period 1895 to 1902 and measure .15 linear feet. The albums document summer time recreational activities of club members at the country clubhouse and boathouse that was located in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn. All photographs included in the albums were taken by Arthur Conklin Brush, a member of the club and an amateur photographer. Each photograph includes handwritten descriptions that identify locations, boat information, and sometimes people in the photographs including Brush. It is not known who wrote the descriptions. The albums contain informal group photographs of Crescent Athletic Club rowing teams on the beach or at the boathouse, views of the county clubhouse and boathouse, images of members involved in recreational activities such as tennis, rowing, and swimming, and group portraits of the football club and field hockey club, among others. Beach scenes show rowing club members at Gravesend Bay and Sea Gate Beach, as well as document the various kinds of boats and ships of the period. The first album measures 4.5 x 5.5, while the second album measures 7.5 x 10.5.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright for unpublished works is protected until 70 years after the death of the creator. For information on securing rights to publish or reproduce, please see the Brooklyn Historical Society Reproduction Rights Policy.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Crescent Athletic Club photograph albums, ARC.236, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Miss Frances Jenks, 1986.
Other Finding Aids
Item level description and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library. Please consult library staff for more information.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
Fully processed to the item level.
This collection combines the accessions V1986.063 and V1986.064.
