The New Rochelle Rowing Club, located in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, was founded in 1880 and is one of the oldest athletic

organizations An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is part of The New York Rowing Association which was founded in 1914, and has its roots in the Harlem Regatta Association which dates back to 1866. Its first

clubhouse Clubhouse may refer to: Locations * The meetinghouse of: ** A club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal ** In the United States, a country club ** In the United Kingdom, a gentlemen's club * A ...

was a one-story

shed A shed is typically a simple, single-story roofed structure that is used for hobbies, or as a workshop in a back garden or on an allotment. Sheds vary considerably in their size and complexity of construction, from simple open-sided ones de ...

on the edge of Mill Pond and Church Street. In 1882 the club moved from its original site on Pelham Road, to its present location at the east end of

Davenport Neck Davenport Neck is a peninsula in New Rochelle, New York, extending southwesterly from the mainland into Long Island Sound, and running parallel to the main shore. It divides the city's waterfront into two, with New Rochelle Harbor to the south an ...

on Echo Bay. The first building at this site was lost to fire around 1900 and was immediately replaced by the current two-story clubhouse. The building is topped by an 1864

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

that was removed from the former city hall on Main Street when it was demolished in the 1960s. Club members restored the cupola and added it to the building in 1974. In 1886 the young club defeated the renowned

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...

, winning its first rowing competition. The sport of rowing became significantly more popular starting in the 1880s. In its early years, the New Rochelle Rowing Club’s Annual

Regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

attracted as many as 1000 members and spectators to the events on Echo Bay. As the club expanded, the club bought new

boats A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

, including new four oared gigs with which they went on to claim more racing titles. The popularity of eight oared rowing did not hit until 1908 when they borrowed a boat from the New York Athletic Club and won a major match race. Over the years, the club has won three national rowing championships. The national Intermediate Single Sculls title in 1920, another National title was captured in 1947, and a third in 1964. The club has also participated in numerous major meets. It was the home club of Cy Cromwell and Jim Storm,

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in the 1964

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

.NRRC History
/ref> Superstorm Sandy slammed New Rochelle's waterfront, with Hudson Park and its facilities bearing much of the brunt. The strong tidal surge heavily damaged the hundred-year-old NRRC clubhouse resulting in its questionable future. Calls for renovation and preservation of the structure as well as those for total demolition continue nearly two years after the hurricane.

References

Links

{{New Rochelle, New York, closed Rowing clubs in the United States Sports clubs and teams established in 1880 Sports in New Rochelle, New York 1880 establishments in the United States