was housed in the Singer Building on nearby Broadway. Soon after, the club began planning its own clubhouse, studying other athletic clubs across the United States to determine which features would be included in its building. In 1927, it acquired a plot on West Street from the Whitehall Realty Company, measuring . At the time, the club planned to build a 20-story structure. The construction of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company's elevated railroad lines and later the New York City Subway had spurred the relocation of the area's residential population uptown in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The tenements that developed at the edges of the Financial District were being demolished and replaced with office buildings. The Downtown Athletic Club already had 1,000 members when it formally announced plans for a clubhouse in February 1928. The new structure would include facilities for numerous sports, and Starrett & van Vleck were selected as the new clubhouse's architects. The limited amount of available space in Lower Manhattan required that the new clubhouse be a skyscraper. The project was expected to cost $4.5 million and initially called for a 44-story skyscraper topped by a pyramid, with recreational facilities on 16 floors and bedrooms and dining rooms on the remaining floors. By November 1928 the plans called for a 17-story clubhouse; contracts for clearing the site of the future clubhouse were awarded the same month. Around 1929, the plans were again modified to 38 stories, and the same year $3 million was loaned toward the building's construction. By mid-1930, the building was almost completed and 3,500 people had submitted applications for membership. The new clubhouse opened in September 1930, with a special 3-day preview period before the building was turned over to the club. At this point, the club had 3,826 members, 1,000 of whom were "life members". Ultimately the building was composed of 35 stories. Operations John Heisman was hired as the club's first athletic director in 1930, and he founded a touchdown club at the Downtown Athletic Club, which ultimately became popular. In 1935 club member Willard Prince suggested that the Downtown Athletic Club issue annual trophies for most outstanding college football player, and the first such trophy was awarded that year. When Heisman died in October 1936, the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy became the Heisman Trophy. Because of the Downtown Athletic Club's wide offerings, it needed at least 5,000