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For Sale: Forest Hills Tennis Stadium
By Alberto Amalfi
(August 3, 2010) The nation's most historic center court may soon be the home of condos in Queens. Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, which was home to the US Open for more than 60 years, is up for sale. The West Side Tennis Club, which owns the crumbling concrete stadium, has deemed the cost of repairing it too costly and wants to sell the stadium to a local developer which plans to convert it to luxury condos.
Cord Meyer Development Co. could pay West Side as much as $9 million for the 2.5-acre stadium site, according to a published report in The Wall Street Journal by Dawn Wotapka.
Hall of Famer Rod Laver complete his 1962 and 1969 Grand Slam seasons on the stadium, Virginia Wade watched helicopters hover over the stadium grass in an effort to dry the soggy court before she beat top-seeded Billie Jean King, 6-4, 6-4, to become the first US Open champion in 1968.
Developers plan to incorporate part of the stadium facade (a plaque in the stadium lists the Forest Hills' champion, including mis-spelling Jimmy Connors' name is "Conners") into the design, if it is approved, according to a letter the West Side Tennis Club sent to its members.
"The facade of the stadium, arches, etc., will be retained and have been incorporated into the design," according to a letter sent members on July 31st and published by The Wall Street Journal.
The Forest Hills section of Queens is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the borough. The reported $9 million sale price depends on how many condo units are approved by the city. The club plans to use some of the money from the sale to pay off existing debt of $2.85 million, according to the Journal.
The USTA has held Challenger events at the West Side Tennis Club in recent years, however the stadium, which hosted concerts by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Doors in the 1960s, has not been used in some time.
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