Gleason’s is the oldest active boxing gym in the U.S. This past December, it moved across the street from its former home to a new space in DUMBO. Bruce Silverglade, the gym's owner, decided to consult with Carolyn DiCarlo, a boxer at the gym, who's also an architect, about the design. Eventually, she took over as the designer for the new gym. One of the biggest changes she decided to make to the original design was enlarge the women’s locker room.
“The women’s locker room and their showers were separated by the gym," she said. "So basically, you’d have to walk with your towel, over to get a shower."
DiCarlo combined the two and made the facilities bigger to accommodate the growing number of women boxing at Gleason’s. It represents a real mark of progress.
When women first wanted to box at Gleason’s, Silverglade had to face the fact that the gym only had one shower and bathroom facility. To accommodate women, he had to close the gym early on certain evenings. When the gym moved to Brooklyn in 1986, Silverglade made sure there would be bathrooms for women.
Today, the gym remains competitive as a fight gym because of its female membership. Women make up all the championship title holders at Gleason’s. While the majority of the members of Gleason’s use the gym for conditioning and exercise and not to become boxing champions, the new design has ensured that gym keeps women in mind.
