New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York City . It was founded in 1868 and has approximately 8 , 600 members . The club has two facilities , the City House , located at 180 Central Park South , and Travers Island , the summer home , located in Westchester County . History . The NYAC can be considered the foundation for amateur athletics in the United States by establishing the definition of an amateur . It was the first organization to compile and apply a code of rules for the government of athletic meetings , the first to offer prizes for open amateur games , and the first to hold an amateur championship . In 1866 , William Buckingham Curtis , Harry Buermeyer , and John C . Babcock opened a gymnasium on the corner of 6th Avenue and 14th Street in their New York City apartment , after discussing the rapid rise of organized athletics in England . Interest in their gym grew rapidly , and the three men decided to found the New York Athletic Club on September 8 , 1868 . Their goal was to sponsor athletic competitions in the New York area and to keep official records for different sports . In the beginning there was no initiation fee , but $ 10 was required for the first six months of dues . NYAC members have won more than 230 Olympic medals . Of those , more than 120 have been gold . Presently , the NYAC has top - ranked competitors in wrestling , judo , rowing , fencing , water polo and track and field , among other sports . Forty NYAC members competed for three countries at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing , winning 16 medals . Through at least the 1960s , the NYAC had membership restrictions against blacks and Jews . In 1962 , New York Mayor Robert F . Wagner , Jr . quit the NYAC over charges that it barred blacks and Jews . Facilities . The club operates two facilities , one in New York City and the other on Travers Island which straddles the border of New Rochelle and Pelham Manor , New York . The City House , located at 180 Central Park South , occupies one of the finest locations in the city . A large , cavernous building built in the early twentieth century , it offers panoramic views of Central Park and is the athletic as well as the social hub of the club . The architect was Charles W . Clinton . The 24 - floor facility includes two restaurants , a cocktail lounge , library , ballroom , billiard room , meeting rooms , and eight floors of guest rooms for members and club guests . The athletic training floors include a swimming pool , basketball courts , boxing rings , a fencing and wrestling room , judo floor , and squash courts . Named for Wall Street businessman William R . Travers , who arranged for its purchase in 1886 , Travers Island is the NYAC ' s summer home on Long Island Sound . The island is located in New Rochelle ' s Lower Harbor and is situated between Neptune Island , Glen Island and Hunter Island in New York City ' s Pelham Bay Park . It consists of the main house and other buildings and facilities that sit on of handsomely landscaped grounds . Centered around the Main House , the Olympic - sized salt water pool and accompanying cabanas , Travers Island extends the range of NYAC sports to include tennis , rowing , yachting , outdoor swimming and diving , a children ' s day camp , rugby , soccer , croquet and lacrosse . The club offers many sports , including rowing , wrestling , boxing , judo , fencing , basketball , rugby union , soccer , tennis , handball , squash , snooker , lacrosse and at least a dozen others . Geographic location . The New York Athletic Club on Travers Island is located at . Mercury Cup series . The NYAC ' s Mercury Cup series is the premier regional fencing event in North America . The series includes a number of épée and sabre tournaments , ending each season with the famous " Epeepalooza " and " Sabrage " events . Competitors earn points based on final placements at each tournament , with the champion being the highest ranked fencer at the conclusion of the season . The Mercury Cup has proven successful due to the club ' s prestige , corporate sponsorship , and the event ' s extraordinarily high - level of competition . Mercury Cup champions Individual event champions 2005 – 2006 Épée series Mercury Cup # 1 : Noah Zucker Mercury Cup # 2 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 3 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 4 : Mykhaylo Mokretsov Mercury Cup # 5 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 6 : Alex Tsinis 2006 – 2007 Épée series Mercury Cup # 1 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 2 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 3 : Soren Thompson Mercury Cup # 4 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 5 : Brendan Baby Mercury Cup # 6 : Tommi Hurme 2007 – 2008 Épée series Mercury Cup # 1 : Alexander Abend Mercury Cup # 2 : Bas Verwijlen Mercury Cup # 3 : Tommi Hurme Mercury Cup # 4 : Jon Normile Mercury Cup # 5 : Jon Normile 2008 – 2009 Épée series Mercury Cup # 1 : Alex Tsinis Mercury Cup # 2 : Jon Normile Mercury Cup # 3 : Jon Normile 2007 – 2008 Sabre series Mercury Cup # 1 : Sergey Isayenko Mercury Cup # 2 : Ben Igoe Mercury Cup # 3 : Sergey Isayenko 2008 – 2009 Sabre series Mercury Cup # 1 : Ben Igoe Mercury Cup # 2 : Ben Igoe Mercury Cup # 3 : Daryl Homer Other notable events . In November 2003 , the club was the site of a four game chess match between Garry Kasparov and the computer program X3D Fritz . In November 2005 , the Saturday morning children ' s program run by the club gathered nearly $ 17 , 000 dollars for the Ronald McDonald House run , an event in which the program has participated for several years . Teams . The NYAC currently fields 22 different teams for the following sports :