Louis Armstrong Stadium
Encyclopedia
Louis Armstrong Stadium is a tennis
stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam
tournaments. It is located at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City
borough
of Queens
; it was the main stadium before Arthur Ashe Stadium
opened in 1997, and is now the No. 2 stadium. The stadium was named after the famous African American
jazz
musician, Louis Armstrong
(who lived nearby until his death in 1971).
The stadium opened on the site in 1964 for the 1964 New York World's Fair
and due to the sponsorship of the Singer Corporation
it was called the Singer Bowl
. In 1978, the US Open moved to Flushing from Forest Hills
. The Singer Bowl was heavily renovated to host the Open, essentially being divided into two new stadiums, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the adjacent Grandstand. The stadium held close to 18,000 at its peak usage.
In 1997, the stadium was replaced by Arthur Ashe Stadium as the main stadium for the US Open. Louis Armstrong Stadium was renovated again, reducing its capacity to around 10,200 and adding a brick facade to match that of the adjacent Ashe Stadium.
Attached to the Louis Armstrong Stadium is the Grandstand, the third largest stadium at the US Open with a seating capacity of about 6,000.
In November 2010 the USTA approved plans to demolish and rebuild the Louis Armstrong stadium. Its replacement won't have a roof but will have scope for a roof if needed.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournaments. It is located at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
; it was the main stadium before Arthur Ashe Stadium
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Arthur Ashe Stadium, a part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, is the main tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments, and also where the annual Arthur Ashe...
opened in 1997, and is now the No. 2 stadium. The stadium was named after the famous African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
(who lived nearby until his death in 1971).
The stadium opened on the site in 1964 for the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
and due to the sponsorship of the Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
it was called the Singer Bowl
Singer Bowl
The Singer Bowl is a stadium that formerly stood in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens. The stadium was built for events during the 1964 World's Fair, also hosting various Olympic trials and concerts over the years....
. In 1978, the US Open moved to Flushing from Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
. The Singer Bowl was heavily renovated to host the Open, essentially being divided into two new stadiums, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the adjacent Grandstand. The stadium held close to 18,000 at its peak usage.
In 1997, the stadium was replaced by Arthur Ashe Stadium as the main stadium for the US Open. Louis Armstrong Stadium was renovated again, reducing its capacity to around 10,200 and adding a brick facade to match that of the adjacent Ashe Stadium.
Attached to the Louis Armstrong Stadium is the Grandstand, the third largest stadium at the US Open with a seating capacity of about 6,000.
In November 2010 the USTA approved plans to demolish and rebuild the Louis Armstrong stadium. Its replacement won't have a roof but will have scope for a roof if needed.