Heritage

Midtown began as a single tennis club in Chicago and has grown to become a leader in the upscale tennis and fitness club industry. We are comprised of 8 magnificently appointed clubs throughout the U.S. and Canada, combining health and wellness with community and personal attention in an environment designed to build memories as much as it does muscles.

Tennis is in Midtown’s DNA. We’ve been the country’s premier tennis club since 1970 and our clubs continue to offer world-class indoor and outdoor tennis courts and instruction.

Midtown is family-owned with the commitment to be the world’s finest club. This is not just something we say, it is something we live around the clock.

In 2005, TCA Holdings, LLC split into four divisions: Midtown Health, which manages the corporate centers and wellness programs; Columbia Equities, a real estate and health club investment company; TCA^® develops and licenses tennis products and programs, and through Midtown manages the company’s sports and fitness clubs.

In the Beginning…

TCA^® started as Tennis Corporation of America in 1969 when Alan Schwartz and his father, Kevie, built the world’s largest indoor tennis facility. Tennis was Alan’s great passion, and he had won multiple state and national titles. He and Kevie often played together, even winning the Chicago Father and Son Tennis Championship.

They collaborated to build Chicago’s Midtown Tennis Club, which Billie Jean King refers to as “the benchmark against which all tennis clubs should be measured.” TCA^® and Midtown improved the quality of the game through adjustments In lighting and spacing. Kevie, a successful chemist, developed Tennis Turf©, a new surface that could cushion the body while offering a true tennis bounce.

They did it because they loved the game.

Despite all of these innovations, what really set TCA^® and Midtown apart was the commitment to actively creating and teaching tennis players, not just selling memberships and court time. Alan made this perfectly clear, saying. “We love the game of tennis. We want everyone in the whole world to play tennis. We are going to create beginners.”

That love translated into success, and Midtown began opening new clubs in the Chicago area, upstate New York, Atlanta, Montreal and South Florida. These were more than just tennis clubs. TCA wanted to create a place where members connect with associates and each other; a place where people feel a sense of comfort and friendship.

TCA^® managed clubs are committed to improving every player’s game, offering lessons for every level and constant personal improvement – a deep dive for tennis enthusiasts. TCA^® created and provides recognized teaching programs, such as Tennis in No Time^®, currently licensed to the United States Tennis Association, and TenniSchools®.

Beyond the Court-Fitness and Physical Therapy 

As members’ interests expanded, TCA^® responded by adding, and currently manages, fitness centers and other sports to the clubs. Beginning in 1980 in Rochester, New York, TCA redefined the health club.

Alan wanted these clubs to be an extension of TCA^®‘s original philosophies, noting that, “We wanted the same rich experience for our fitness centers that our tennis players had come to expect. Each club carries the same commitment to personal improvement, no matter the activity. Like the original Midtown, they are comfortable places that foster real connections between members and associates.”

TCA^® is committed to personal growth, achieving results and social connection, these award-winning clubs set a new standard for sports and fitness in a healthy social environment.

Steven Schwartz, Alan’s son and CEO of TCA^®, attributes the success of these programs to TCA’s caring and connecting approach, noting, “Companies continue coming to us because of our ability to engage people.”

Return to Midtown

The company’s North American sports resorts were rebranded as Midtown Athletic Clubs in 2006. This evokes the name of the original Midtown Club and the quality it stands for. Midtown clubs are upscale, comfortable and go way beyond a treadmill. Like the original Midtown Tennis Club, they are an immersive experience for enthusiasts and beginners alike – a place to play, grow and connect with friends.