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Squash Courts Are The New Must-Have Amenity In New York City Buildings

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New developments in New York City have been incorporating all matter of amenities in order to stand out in the recent construction boom. The latest trend in the amenity race? Squash courts.

Squash is a racket sport in which two to four players take turns hitting a rubber ball against the front wall of a four-walled court. It had its origins in a game called rackets played by London prisoners in the early 18th century and was created as a version of rackets by younger students at the prestigious Harrow School outside the city.

Today, the international squash Tournament of Champions is held at Vanderbilt Hall in New York City's Grand Central Terminal.

A squash court sits among the 50,000 square feet of indoor amenities at One Manhattan Square on the Lower East Side. Residents can take lessons from professional squash instructors or join an intramural squash team arranged by developer Extell.

There is also a squash court in Extell's Brooklyn Point development in Downtown Brooklyn.

Ari Goldstein, Extell Development's senior vice president, said the company began including the courts in its developments five years ago. “True squash enthusiasts know that New York City does not offer enough courts," Goldstein says. "We've seen a growing interest for squash courts and want to meet this uptick in interest among luxury buyers."

Squash courts are also part of the amenity package at Waterline Square, the three-tower mega-development with condominiums and rental units on the Upper West Side.

In the NoMad neighborhood, the 45-story condo tower Rose Hill has a squash court with programming from Manhattan-based SquashRX, with class packages, private seminars and private lessons to residents who want to play competitively or recreationally.

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