401 Greenwich Street

The six-story brick building you see at 401 Greenwich Street holds a surprising place in the history of American sports. In 1884, this site became home to the first bowling academy in the United States. It was established by Joseph Thum, a man often celebrated as the father of modern American bowling, who used the space to professionalize and standardize the game. Before the site became a modern office building, its previous structures served as an industrial hub and a site for intense athletic innovation during the late nineteenth century.