NYC - Battery: Downtown Athletic Club The Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) (left), at 19 West Street (now 18 West Street), was built from 1929 to 1930 by Starrett & Van Vleck. The Downtown Athletic Club (DAC), founded in 1926, was a private membership association geared toward businessmen and lawyers who worked in lower Manhattan. The high cost of land necessitated a tall building, and the relatively small lot size dictated that the different functions and facilities of the club, including swimming pool, gymnasium, miniature golf course, squash, and tennis courts, as well as dining rooms and living quarters, be accommodated on separate floors. The 35-story, 518-foot Art Deco tower is perhaps best known as the former "Home of the Heisman." In 1935, the club began presenting an award, originally known as the DAC Trophy. to the most outstanding player in colllegiate football. In 1936, the award was renamed the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award, following the death of the DAC's athletic director, John Heisman. Damage resulting from the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, forced the Club to close its doors and eventually declare bankruptcy. The Heisman presentation was relocated temporarily to the Yale Club, then to the Hilton New York and since 2005, has resided at the Nokia Theatre Times Square. The Downtown Athletic Club was designated a landmark by the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2000. / VFL.Ru