The Germantown Cricket Club is a 150 year old private club, located on a pristine, beautifully manicured 15 acre site. It is located 10 minutes from the center of Philadelphia. The Facilities have turn-of-the century charm with timeless style and beauty. A very active membership broadly uses club facilities through athletic and social memberships.
The Club makes its innovative catering and event management services available to members and non-members. Your special occasion will be set in rooms rich in history and elegance. Our facilities are available to host an array of special events such as wedding receptions, bar/bat mitzvahs, anniversaries and corporate meetings. A skilled staff is on-site to provide catering and planning services for these special events and meetings. The catering staff and facilities are available to host events that are implemented with a dedication to quality and excellence.
The Germantown Cricket Club, founded in 1854, was dedicated to spirited cricket competition played against other clubs and teams in the Philadelphia area. Activities were suspended during the Civil War, after which General George Meade, who led Union troops at Gettysburg, opened a new playing field. At the new location important international matches were played, and in the 1880’s a new consolidated team the “Germantown Eleven” was formed which played at a high International level.
In 1889 the combined organization settled at the current location. In 1890 the elegant clubhouse was designed by the internationally famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. The construction contract was awarded to A.S. Tourison and completed in 1891. The quality and character of that building stands in today’s magnificent setting. In that same year, and for several years thereafter, the Princeton-University of Pennsylvania football game was played on club grounds.
The championship tennis tournament of Philadelphia was also held here in 1891, and marked the beginning of great interest in this sport. A number of exhibition matches were held in 1892 involving former national champions. In 1896 the Pennsylvania State Lawn Tennis championship was held on club grounds. The sport continued to grow in popularity and reached its peak at the club when Bill Tilden joined.
The year 1918 marked the beginning of the Tilden Era in tennis. In that year he made his first showing in the National Tennis Tournament. In 1920 he not only won the U.S. championship, he also was triumphant at the All-England Championship (Wimbledon). Partly because of his prominence, the National Tennis Tournament was awarded to Germantown for the first time in 1921. We also had these matches in 1922 along with the Davis Cup. Even today we continue to host several men’s and woman’s senior national grass court championships.
Other sports have also held the limelight through the years. Paramount among these is Squash. Achievements in the Club’s Squash Teams have resulted in Germantown’s hosting of all the recognized championships – City, State, and National.
On site today, several buildings and outdoor areas are assigned to host the broad array of club activities which include: Tennis, Squash, Cricket, Swimming, Bowling, Fitness Center, Dining and Social Events. The Club facilities include 45 tennis courts, 7 squash courts, and an Olympic Swimming Pool.
• Indoor Tennis Courts
• Squash Courts
• Olympic Swimming pool
• Outdoor Grass Courts
• Outdoor Clay Courts
• Outdoor Har-Tru Courts
• Outdoor Hard Courts
• Fitness Center
• Bowling Alleys
• Dining Rooms
• Ballroom
• Card Room
• Meeting Rooms
• Tennis
• Squash
• Cricket
• Water Sports
• Bowling
• Fitness Center
• Social Events
The club has had many additions to improve the facilities over the years, and continues with a very stimulating and active athletic and social calendar year round.