Downtown Athletic Club

Downtown Club
Downtown Club
	The eastern facade of the Downtown Club (left) and 21 West Street (right)
General information
Type	Residential
Architectural style	Art Deco
Location	20 West Street, New York, NY 10004
Coordinates	40°42′22″N 74°00′56″W / 40.70618°N 74.01568°W
Construction started	1929
Completed	1930
Height
Roof	518 ft (158 m)
Top floor	515 ft (157 m)
Technical details
Floor count	35 (+4 attic)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Starrett & van Vleck
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 14, 2000
Reference no.	2075

The Downtown Athletic Club, also known as the Downtown Club, was a private social and athletic club that operated from 1926 to 2002 at 20 West Street, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The Downtown Athletic Club was known for formerly issuing the Heisman Trophy, an annual award for outstanding college football players that was named after John Heisman, the club's first athletic director.

The Downtown Athletic Club was founded in 1926 as an all-male club. The club bought land for their building near the Hudson River in 1927 and completed the structure in 1930. The building was sold off in 1936 following the club's bankruptcy, but was reacquired in 1950. The club started admitting female members in 1977, and after facing further financial troubles in the late 1990s, sold off part of its building. Following the September 11 attacks on the nearby World Trade Center, the surrounding neighborhood was blockaded, and the club closed down, having filed for bankruptcy due to the clubhouse's inaccessibility.

The 35-story Downtown Athletic Club building^[a] was designed in the Art Deco style by Starrett & van Vleck, who also designed the adjacent 21 West Street at the same time. The building housed all of the club's athletic activities, as well as living and dining spaces. Its architectural features include several setbacks to allow light to reach the street, as mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution, in addition to the design of the brickwork and the different architectural concessions made for the building's various facilities. 20 West Street was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission as an official city landmark in 2000. The club building was converted to the Downtown Club, a residential building with condominiums, after the club's closure.

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