By Patrick Carmody, Museum Educator
What’s your favorite tennis court in the Golden Isles? Modern tennis courts across the area are renowned for their excellent games with tournaments such as the Jekyll Island Banana Open. But back in the day of the Jekyll Island Club, tennis was offered in some very different spaces then our modern courts.
Gould Casino was constructed in the Jekyll Island Historic District back in 1902, intended as an indoor playhouse for the children of Edwin Gould to have a space for activities on rainy days. The playhouse was host to a variety of activities including bowling, target shooting in the indoor firing range, tennis at the indoor tennis court (added on in 1913), and featured a locker room with showers, a living room, and a few bedrooms.
The Casino was open to the members of the Jekyll Island Club for use, with tennis being a favorite activity. In fact, Jay Gould II, nephew of Edwin Gould, would become a tennis sensation in part because of his time on the Gould Casino courts, winning the gold medal in the 1908 London Olympics. The Casino was a well enjoyed facility by the Goulds and their fellow vacationers on Jekyll, until the tragic loss of one of Edwin’s sons, Eddie Jr, in a hunting accident near Jekyll in 1917. The Gould family would be split on returning to Jekyll, with some members of the family refusing to return, and others infrequently visiting the island. In the case of Frank Miller Gould, the other son of Edwin Sr., he would build a cottage in 1928 neighboring the Casino, known as Villa Marianna, that is currently utilized for archives and collections storage for the Historic Resources Department.
The era of the Jekyll Island Club would pass and see the island being used as a state park beginning in 1948. In 1950, a fire would claim most of Gould Casino’s facilities with only the tennis court surviving the blaze. The structure was repurposed to serve as an auditorium in 1958. Gould Auditorium provided a space that could accommodate groups of up to 850 attendees to conventions, large group meetings, and high school dances.
One of the more notable dances was on June 2, 1970, when the graduating class of Glynn Academy threw a celebration exclusively for the senior class, with the Allman Brothers Band performing. This legendary performance can be found here in 31• 81, the Magazine of Jekyll Island. The auditorium saw several great performances in its time but would begin to fall out of use in the 1970s and would lose its Mid-Century lobby addition in the mid-1990s. Nowadays, the space is partially used for storage and a lab for preservation projects.
A New Exterior
With support from the Jekyll Island Foundation and the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island, the Historic Resources Department is undertaking an important preservation project at the Gould Casino. The work will focus on repairing and safeguarding the building’s exterior, ensuring its historic character is brought back to its hay day.
The casino’s façade, constructed of lime stucco over brick, will be carefully repaired using compatible stucco patching. Restoration efforts will also include the original 24 clerestory windows, along with preservation work around the building’s Flemish bond foundation.
To partner with the Historic Resources team, helping to preserve these unique spaces for future generations, click HERE.
