The city's oldest boxing gym continues to make a name for itself.
Gleason's Gym, where Robert De Niro trained for “Raging Bull” and Hilary Swank trained for “Million Dollar Baby,” has been fluttering like a butterfly and stinging like a bee across the three boroughs for more than 90 years and is still going strong.
“This is a community,” owner Bruce Silverglade told The Washington Post, recalling the gym's unique history, from its original home in the Bronx to Manhattan to its current home in Dumbo, where it was honored by the city with a street name change.
Celebrities and star athletes are as much a regular at the gym as they are on the speed bag, with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Jake LaMotta, Roberto Duran, Heather Hardy and Ronica Jeffries having spent time here, while Miles Davis, Usher and Hugh Jackman have also laced up the gloves.
“We'll never call Page Six. It doesn't matter who you are. We don't care,” he added.
Silverglade noted that De Niro and Swank both won Academy Awards for their acting after training at Gleason's, despite being separated by nearly 20 years.
“There's really very little difference between boxing and acting,” Silverglade said, noting that both De Niro and Swank train “more rigorously than most actors who come out here.”
“They've worked their way into the spirit of boxing and into our lives,” he added, from attending boxing shows to partying with Gleason's staff on birthdays.
Silverglade said Gleason's has attracted the attention of celebrities as well as location scouts over the years, resulting in more than 10 movies and commercials being shot at the gym.
What draws the crowd is the gym's timeless, old-fashioned look and feel (“If you want a hip look, go to Chelsea Piers,” he says, referring to the Dumbo store where Gleason's moved in 1987).
But despite the steady stream of celebrities and film industry clients, Silverglade insists that all trainees at Gleason's are treated equally and that they are all united in one mission.
“We train everyone the same, so there's a common goal,” Silverglade told the Post. “When I look out the window from my office, I don't know who's who. Everybody's sweating.”
The owner, who has run the gym since it first opened on Manhattan's 30th Street in the 1980s, can count on a wide range of clients, from businessmen to housewives to troubled teens.
Throughout the gym's 30-year history Give children dreams The program provides children referred by parole officers or teachers with free membership to Gleason's, as well as private tutoring, educational trips and exercise equipment.
“We're just trying to help out however we can,” Silverglade said. “The more we give back to the community, the more we get out of them. Anyone who loves the sport of boxing and can use this gym is welcome.”
Gleason's has since started offering free memberships to veterans, as well as special programs for those with autism, Parkinson's disease and those who use wheelchairs. Its most recent addition, launched less than three years ago, is a group specifically for transgender boxers.
“This is the last melting pot in the city. Everybody gets along,” Silverglade said of the gym's inclusivity. “If this was a project the whole world was working on, there would be a lot less issues.”
The owners were initially approached by City Council Member Farrah Lewis about having the site designated a historic landmark, but Silverglade told The Washington Post that they politely declined, saying, “Even if we were granted that honor, we wouldn't be able to move the painting without someone's permission.”
Instead, Silverglade was offered the opportunity to co-nam the street, which he gladly accepted, and after a series of interviews, the street was approved for co-naming in June, along with 100 other streets and public places.
On August 21, what would have been Silverglade's 87th birthday, a ceremony was held to officially dedicate the corner of Water and Adams Streets as Gleason's Gym Way. Attendees included professional and amateur boxers, as well as fans, staff, trainers and elected officials.
Gleason's Gym's storied history will also be explored in an upcoming documentary helmed by director and casting producer Mary Jo Slater.
Slater, 78, who attended kindergarten with Silverglade, told The Washington Post that she was enthralled by the space the moment she walked inside.
“The camaraderie was so important here and the whole place was magical,” she said.
Silverglade said he has talked for years about the possibility of making a documentary about Gleason's Gym, but nothing has come to fruition yet.
“The challenge is out, and I'm in,” Slater said. “We're going to showcase the greatness that the Gleasons have done for the community and for DUMBO.”
“[Silverglade] “It's changing people's lives by being open and inclusive,” she added. “It's a magical place.”
