Members of the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens voted last night not to sell their historic stadium that housed the U.S. Open tennis championships for decades, according to an article today at wsj.com by Dawn Wotapka.
'The decision is a setback for Cord Meyer Development Co., which" wanted to transform the "crumbling" tennis stadium at the famous club into luxury condominium apartments,' the article said, adding that the decision is "also a blow to some club members, who hoped the selling price of up to $9 million would shore up shaky finances for a club founded in 1892 that has seen better days."
"The West Side will likely restart the process and search for another buyer. It can't fix the stadium itself - which could cost more than $15 million, money it doesn't have," the article stated.
In addition to hosting the U. S. Open Tennis Championship from 1923 until 1977 when it moved to Flushing Meadows, Queens, the club's 15,000-seat stadium hosted many major rock concerts for such stars as Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.
The article said that "on Wednesday, the Rego-Forest Preservation Council activist group urged members to 'consider its firsts in tennis, music, and architectural history' and avoid 'the loss of an icon.'"
An article today by Fernanda Santos at nytimes.com said that "In all, 246 of the club's 291 voting members cast ballots in a vote that followed contentious back-and-forth among people who favored preserving the structure and those who would have rather seen it go.
"In the end," it continued, "the members were evenly split, with 123 in favor and 123 against the sale, but club rules require a two-thirds majority for approval.
The article said that Christine Krais Schott, a member, said that "Now the real work begins. Now we've got to find a real use for the stadium."
"We're going to be exploring other options; that's all we can do, the club's president, Kenneth J. Parker, said, the article said.
According to an article in today's edition of The New York Daily News by Nicholad Hirshon, "The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission is now reviewing whether the stadium deserves official protection from major renovations or demolition."
The Cord Meyer scheme would not have affected the club's large Tudor-style clubhouse and many of its grass courts and would have created 75 condominium apartments on four floors in the curved structure of the stadium overlooking the courts and the clubhouse. Anthony Morali was the architect for the Cord Meyer plan.
'The decision is a setback for Cord Meyer Development Co., which" wanted to transform the "crumbling" tennis stadium at the famous club into luxury condominium apartments,' the article said, adding that the decision is "also a blow to some club members, who hoped the selling price of up to $9 million would shore up shaky finances for a club founded in 1892 that has seen better days."
"The West Side will likely restart the process and search for another buyer. It can't fix the stadium itself - which could cost more than $15 million, money it doesn't have," the article stated.
In addition to hosting the U. S. Open Tennis Championship from 1923 until 1977 when it moved to Flushing Meadows, Queens, the club's 15,000-seat stadium hosted many major rock concerts for such stars as Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.
The article said that "on Wednesday, the Rego-Forest Preservation Council activist group urged members to 'consider its firsts in tennis, music, and architectural history' and avoid 'the loss of an icon.'"
An article today by Fernanda Santos at nytimes.com said that "In all, 246 of the club's 291 voting members cast ballots in a vote that followed contentious back-and-forth among people who favored preserving the structure and those who would have rather seen it go.
"In the end," it continued, "the members were evenly split, with 123 in favor and 123 against the sale, but club rules require a two-thirds majority for approval.
The article said that Christine Krais Schott, a member, said that "Now the real work begins. Now we've got to find a real use for the stadium."
"We're going to be exploring other options; that's all we can do, the club's president, Kenneth J. Parker, said, the article said.
According to an article in today's edition of The New York Daily News by Nicholad Hirshon, "The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission is now reviewing whether the stadium deserves official protection from major renovations or demolition."
The Cord Meyer scheme would not have affected the club's large Tudor-style clubhouse and many of its grass courts and would have created 75 condominium apartments on four floors in the curved structure of the stadium overlooking the courts and the clubhouse. Anthony Morali was the architect for the Cord Meyer plan.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
