Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 6:30p.m
The Tennis Hall
of Fame at the Newport
Casino, site of the first
U.S. National Championships in 1881, was founded by tennis innovator
James Van Alen in 1954 as "a shrine to the ideals of the game."
The Tennis Hall of Fame was officially sanctioned by the United
States Tennis Association in 1954 and was recognized by the
International Tennis Federation in 1986. Over the last ten years, the
Hall of Fame complex and Museum have been restored to their original
splendor with the 1997 completion of a five year, $7.5 million
renovation and endowment project.
In 1954, the Newport Casino was designated as the site of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum to preserve the historic legacy of the game of tennis. Designed by the distinguished architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, the complex of buildings was completed in 1880 as a private club and playground for the wealthy summer residents of Newport, Rhode Island.
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