Right here in Buffalo sits one of the nation's oldest sports clubs of its kind. It is called the Buffalo Tennis and Squash Club.
The facility features one tennis court, two squash courts and a common room upstairs with overlooking windows.
The club was built in 1915. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in December of 2008.
Rick Infanti, the General Manager and Tennis Pro at the club, said some big names have played on their courts.
"We've hosted U.S. National Championships in singles squash," Infanti recalled. "In 2014, we had the U.S. National Doubles Squash Championship. We've had a number of nationally ranked squash champions and back in the day we had a mid-winter tennis invitation where we had the best tennis players in the world play here."
The club was designed and built by some of the most prominent citizens in Buffalo. Infanti said it is a well-preserved example of an early twentieth-century indoor tennis and squash club.
But unlike the more famous gentleman's Racquet and Tennis Club in NYC, the Buffalo Tennis and Squash Club is an example of progressive era sporting.
"Quite progressive for the day, it was one of the early private clubs that had a women's locker room, believe it or not," Infanti said. "So, we're quite proud of our liberal legacy in terms of the social aspect."
Competition is strong at the club but camaraderie is even stronger. There are about 350 members all together including a very vibrant squash junior program.
As a member, you get access to the courts, the lessons and friends that become family.
"People consider this their home," Infanti explained. "They come in, they relax, they can sit in their well-worn tennis shirts and squash shirts and the sense of camaraderie that sort of permeates this place is very, very special."