each of the window bays, and a parapet with limestone caps. There is a three-story mechanical tower above the northern part of the roof, with decorative brickwork and three recessed brick panels on each of its four facades. Interior The lower floors were devoted mostly to recreation. The ground floor contained the lobby and offices, and the lobby hosted exhibitions such as a Staten Island Museum show on ferries in New York City and displays of the Heisman Trophy. The third floor contained billiard tables and cardrooms, while the fifth floor contained bowling alleys. The fourth and sixth floors contained racquetball, handball, tennis, and squash courts; the seventh floor, a miniature golf course; and the eighth floor, a gym. The twelfth floor had a swimming pool, which was described as the world's highest aquatic facility when it was built. The 10th floor had medical rooms, and the 13th through 19th floors contained dining rooms and lounges. There were also kitchens on the 13th through 15th floors, a balcony with greenhouse on the 15th floor, and maintenance facilities on the 16th through 19th floors. On the 20th through 32nd floors were 143 private hotel rooms. The rooms had been occupied by guests such as boxer Muhammad Ali, baseball players Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, comedian Bob Hope, and Heisman Trophy winners. The water tank and mechanical equipment occupied the top three stories. There was also a staircase along the building's northeastern corner, as well as six passenger elevators and one freight elevator. Interior designers Barnet Phillips and Duncan Hunter were responsible for the interior design. Design elements included "unusual lighting" as well as Meso-American style murals and geometrically patterned flooring. The style was highly praised as being among the era's "finest high style" and was equated with the ornate designs of steamship rooms. Christopher Gray of The New York Times said that "the scale and sophistication of the work made it one of the most developed Art Deco interiors in New York." History Founding and clubhouse construction The Downtown Athletic Club was organized on September 10, 1926, by a group of lawyers led by Schuyler Van Vechten Hoffman. The Downtown Athletic Club had been organized as a men-only club and would remain that way for the next 51 years. The club was geared toward businessmen, lawyers, and other white-collar workers of the Financial District and other Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. Initially, it