The Seattle Athletic Club Moves Into Grand New Quarters
Members christen a four-story facility on Front Street featuring a massive swimming tank, a gym with a two-story ceiling, and a new official 'Seattle' yell.
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The Seattle Athletic Club held its first formal meeting in its new building last night, though the electric lights were not fully operational. The club, which grew from a mere handful of members to a great organization in just one year, occupies four stories of a building designed to rival any athletic club on the Coast. The facilities include a parlor, reading room, and an elegantly furnished reception area. Below the main level lies a gymnasium measuring 60x80 feet and two stories high, featuring full equipment. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the swimming tank on the lowest floor, measuring 40x70 feet and holding 110,000 gallons of water. At the meeting, members adopted a new official club yell authored by H. B. Haynes: 'S. A. C., Rah, rah! Rah, rah! S. A. C., Rah, rah! Rah, rah! Hooray! Hooray! Seattle, Washington, U. S. A.'
“The effect when coming with a will from two hundred lusty pairs of lungs is certainly inspiring.”
The club’s original home on Front Street—now First Avenue—was the height of civic boosterism in the 1890s. Today, the site reflects the same drive for prestige, though the 'athletic clubs' of modern downtown Seattle are now high-end fitness chains rather than private social fraternities.
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