The Carrara marble in the members’ shower area of the historic Racquet Club of Philadelphia was repaired and replaced to bring back its original grandeur
Once a lavish Turkish bath, the members’ shower area at the historic Racquet Club of Philadelphia had lost its luster. The building itself, which was designed by Horace Trumbauer and constructed in 1906, sits in Center City and is well known for its multiple levels of squash and racquet courts, a variety of club rooms and its innovative indoor swimming pool stationed above the main lobby on the third floor. The current locker room space had been renovated and then eventually neglected; becoming apparent that it was in dire need of a structural repair.
“Originally, its innovative indoor pool opened onto a large and elaborate Turkish bath,” explained John Cluver of Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP in Philadelphia, PA, the architectural firm that was commissioned for the renovation/restoration project. “This area was eventually separated from the pool to become a shower area with restrooms — retaining elements of its original design but becoming increasingly disorganized in layout and disheveled in appearance.”