All squash courts are beautiful, but some are more beautiful than others. The ones with limited access hold the most interest for me. This short article is the first in a regular series on private and beautiful squash courts.
I recently received an email from a New York resident asking for advice about their squash. They mentioned having a squash court in their building. They use it most weekdays and are thinking of purchasing a ball machine to use. We talked about their options and I asked if they could send some photos. I won’t reveal the exact location, but as you can see from the title, it’s in Manhattan. If you live in New York, you might, just might, recognise the lobby.
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Apparently the building was built in the 1920s and as you can see from one of the photographs below in the gallery, it’s a hardball court rather than a squash court, although I haven’t differentiated that in the title. The area is very exclusive, with a duplex apartment recently selling for tens of millions of Dollars. Let me quote the sender to give you some more details.
“As you exit the back door, you are on the lobby area. You proceed to the back and get into a private elevator to the basement. You flick on the lights and descend a rather concerning set of stairs and flick on more lights. The court is accessed by stepping up, something I recall never having to do. Unfortunately, the court is 18′ x 31′ and the service line is at 20′. There is a basketball hoop and a white three point line painted on the floor. I checked with a squash court builder about bouncing a basketball on the court as to whether it is damaging and he assured me not to worry!“
If I ever get back to Manhattan, I’ll do my best to have a hit on it and post some more photos. In the meantime, enjoy the gallery and a big thanks to the sender for allowing me to use publish the photos.
