RI ATHLETIC CLUB TO CLOSE
Social Street health club in operation since 1980; property put up for sale
WOONSOCKET – There’s been a health club operating continuously since 1980 at 600 Social St., but the property is on the auction block and the Rhode Island Athletic Club will shut its doors at the end of the month.
The move comes after Mike Reynolds, who ran the business since 2013, was hired as general manager of the Pennsylvania-based Lancaster Barnstormers, a professional baseball team in the Atlantic League.
Reynolds said “it’s been tough” running the Barnstormers and the club at the same time, but the impending sale of the building – owned by Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee – was another factor that led him to close the doors, effective Oct. 31.
“We have a great business with a great membership base,” said Reynolds. “It’s very sad. At this time I think it’s the best decision for everyone involved.”
Located at the busy junction of Clinton and Social streets, the 28,000square-foot health club is situated on a parcel of about 1.3 acres that’s practically a part of merchandising lore in the city. It’s the same lot where the original Social Department Store was located for many years. McKee redeveloped the site in 1980
as the Woonsocket Health & Racquetball Club, which remained in operation until 2013, when Reynolds bought the business and rebranded it as RIAC. McKee continued to own the real estate.
McKee was just 28 years old when he announced that he was staking his future on racquetball, a fast-paced, sweat-inducing hybrid of tennis and handball. He told a sportswriter for The Call back then that he’d seen racquetball players in Vermont and had a feeling it would catch on.
“We’ve been here since 1980 and we have a lot of good memories, but now we’re looking to repurpose the building
either as a health club or some other use,” McKee said.
The building has been listed for sale with real estate agents Michael Alves and Steven Thibodeau of Keller Williams Commercial Realty for about a month. The asking price is $649,000, according to the company’s advertising.
The building is equipped with an indoor swimming pool, racquetball courts, locker rooms, saunas and other features.
“Could be good for a sports center, gym, school,” the Keller Williams ad says. “Prime location in the heart of Woonsocket, in a highly visible location.”
Reached for comment about the sale, Alves said there have been multiple inquiries about the property, but he declined to elaborate.
“We’ve had a few nibbles,” he said.
A Lincoln native who graduated from Johnson and Wales University with a bachelor’s in business administration, Reynolds took the Barnstormers to a best-indivision finish during his first season as general manager this year.
He said he had 28 employees at the RIAC, mainly part-timers. He said most have already landed on their feet elsewhere after having been given plenty of advance notice about his plans.
Reynolds wouldn’t reveal how many members RIAC has, but sources close to the business say the figure is several hundred.
Most were notified by e-mail of the club’s closing, and a sign is prominently posted in the lobby.
It says, “We regretfully inform you that our last day of operation will be Tuesday, Oct. 31. We will be forever grateful to the members who have supported RIAC and to all the lifetime friendships we have made. We wish everyone continued success on their health and fitness journeys.”
The farewell is signed, “Mike.”