Orange Lawn Tennis Club

Orange Lawn Tennis Club
Map
Interactive map of Orange Lawn Tennis Club
Club information
LocationSouth Orange, New Jersey
Established1880
TypePrivate
Websitewww.orangelawn.com

The Orange Lawn Tennis Club is the second oldest tennis club in New Jersey. Located in South Orange, it was established three years after the Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club in Rumson.[1]

History

The club was founded on October 4, 1880, with Richard J. Cross as its first president, and was situated on a 10-acre site[a] at the corner of Berkley Avenue and Montrose Avenue.[3] In April 1882, it was reported to have eight courts and about 100 members.[4] By 1916 there was a demand for more courts and better facilities, resulting in the purchase of the 42-acre Hillside estate on Ridgewood Avenue from H. Charles Hoskier,[5][6] a former club president.[2] The brownstone mansion on the estate, built by prominent resident William Redmond,[7][b] was turned into the clubhouse.[6][11] The club opened its new location, with six dirt courts and 14 grass courts, in August 1917.[12]

In 2018, when it was purchased by a group of investors headed by real estate developer Bruce Schonbraun, the club was one of the few in the United States to still retain any grass courts.[13]

In May 1881, Orange Lawn became one of the founding members of the United States Tennis Association.[14] The organisation's first vice-president, Samuel Campbell, was a member of the club.[15] In 1887, it hosted the men's doubles event of the US Open, then called the U.S. National Championship. The club also hosted the Eastern Grass Court Championships. The American Zone final of the 1946 Davis Cup, in which the United States defeated Mexico 5–0, was held at the club.[16][17]

Former tournaments

Former notable tournaments staged by the club.

Notes

  1. ^Previously, this had been a cricket pitch.[2]
  2. ^William Redmond (1804–1874), a prominent merchant with Wm. Redmond & Son,[8] was the father of Goold H. Redmond, Annie Redmond Cross (wife of the Club's first president, Richard James Cross), Frances Redmond Livingston,[9] (the wife of Henry Beekman Livingston).[10] among others.

References

  1. ^"The History of Morristown Field Club". Morristown Field Club. Morristown, NJ. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  2. ^ ab"Orange Lawn-Tennis Club in Its New Home". Financial Section. The Evening Post. Vol. 116, no. 255. New York. September 15, 1917. p. 12.
  3. ^Whittemore, Henry (1896). The Founders and Builders of the Oranges. Newark, NJ: L. J. Hardham (printer). pp. 362–363 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^"Lawn Tennis". The New York Herald. No. 16672. April 15, 1882. p. 5.
  5. ^Welk (2002), p. 67.
  6. ^ ab"Noted Turf Courts Gone: Orange Lawn Tennis Club Forced to Seek New Grounds". Section 8. The New York Times. Vol. 66, no. 21519. December 24, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  7. ^"History | South Orange Village, NJ". southorange.org. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  8. ^Selleck, Charles M. (1896). Norwalk. Norwalk, CN: Charles M. Selleck. p. 358. Retrieved November 12, 2018 – via Google Books.
  9. ^"Died"(PDF). The New York Times. Vol. 55, no. 21319. June 7, 1916. p. 13. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  10. ^"Henry B. Livingston, Stock Broker, Is Dead: Direct Descendant of Chancellor and Member of Old New York Family, Was 76". The New York Times. Vol. 80, no. 26892. September 10, 1931. p. 25.
  11. ^Welk (2002), p. 11.
  12. ^"Prepare New Courts For Old Tennis Club". Oregon Sunday Journal. Vol. 15, no. 24 (City ed.). September 2, 1917. p. 16. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  13. ^Waldstein, David (April 27, 2018). "Stay Off the Grass? Sacrilege!". The New York Times. p. B11. Retrieved June 1, 2024. (Online version, published a day earlier, has a different title).
  14. ^Kimball, Warren F. (2017). The United States Tennis Association: Raising the Game. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0803296930.
  15. ^"The Lovers of Lawn-Tennis". The New York Times. Vol. 30, no. 9267. May 22, 1881. p. 5 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ^Danzig, Allison (June 29, 1946). "Cloudburst Floods Orange Lawn Tennis Club's Court. Matches Set for Today". The New York Times. Vol. 95, no. 32298. p. 16. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  17. ^Trengrove, Alan (1991). The Story of the Davis Cup (Revised ed.). London: Stanley Paul. pp. 396–397. ISBN 0091746604.
  18. ^"Russell Extends Lead". The Bayonne Times. Vol. 100, no. 202. Bayonne, NJ. AP. August 27, 1970. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.

Sources

  • Welk, Naoma (2002). South Orange. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738509744.

40°45′16″N74°15′47″W / 40.75447°N 74.26302°W / 40.75447; -74.26302

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