Cincinnati Tennis Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cincinnati Tennis Club
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| Location | Dexter and Wold Avenues Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| NRHP reference No. | 83001979 |
| Added to NRHP | March 23, 1983 |
The Cincinnati Tennis Club is one of the oldest active tennis clubs in the United States. It was started in 1880, just five years after the sport of tennis first came to America.
Contents
Club History
How Tennis Started in Cincinnati
Stewart Shillito, whose father founded the Shillito's department store, saw tennis being played during a trip to Narragansett Pier in Rhode Island. This was in 1878. He liked the game so much that he decided to build a tennis court at his father's house in Cincinnati.
Soon, many of Shillito's friends became interested in tennis. By 1880, there was enough excitement to start a tennis club in Cincinnati.
Founding the Club
On December 3, 1880, a meeting was held to create the club. They wrote down rules and chose their first leaders: Jeptha Garrand as President, Howard S. Winslow as Secretary, and Albert C. Barney as Treasurer.
Within a week, 86 people joined the club! They rented a part of Music Hall for indoor tennis until May 1881. This made Cincinnati one of the first places in America to have indoor tennis. The club used Music Hall for another year. However, they ended the agreement because the roof reportedly leaked, and they wanted a discount on the rent. After this, indoor tennis in Cincinnati stopped for a while.
New Locations and Growth
One of the club's officers, Howard S. Winslow, lived on Oak Street. His father kindly let the club use some land behind his house. Here, they built three grass courts. The city even named the nearby street "Tennis Lane" because of all the tennis activity! This name is still used today.
The Cincinnati Tennis Club stayed at this spot until 1885. Then, they moved to a new place on Arbigust Street, which is now called Vernon Place.
For the next 13 years, the club used two different locations on Vernon Place. During this time, more people joined, and the club became very active. In 1891 and 1893, the club even hosted the Ohio State Adult Championship. After moving twice, the club started looking for a more permanent home in 1898.
Finding a Permanent Home
Two club members, John B. Keys and John Scarborough, owned land they wanted to develop. They both offered land to the club, hoping it would help the club and also make their land more valuable. John Keys offered three acres of land as a gift. John Scarborough offered the club its current location. He didn't offer it as a gift, but he said they could use it for free for the first few years. Mr. Scarborough also agreed to build four courts and a clubhouse at his own cost.
In the spring of 1899, the club chose Scarborough's offer. Keys' property was considered "too far out in the country" and hard to get to.
Thirty-eight members from the Vernon Place location joined the new club, along with many new members. This brought the total membership to 186 when the courts opened. Some of the improvements Scarborough promised were not finished until 1900.
In its first year at the new location, the club had four courts. Over time, more courts were added. In 1904, three more courts were built. In 1925, three additional courts were added. The original clubhouse was taken down in 1905, and the building you see today was built in 1906.
The Tri-State Tournament
From 1903 to 1968, the Cincinnati Tennis Club hosted a very popular event called the Tri-State Tennis Tournament. This tournament brought in many of the best male and female tennis players from all over the country and the world. It was one of the most important tennis events before the "Open Era" of tennis began.
In 1904, The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper reported that so many famous players had entered that the Tri-State Tournament was almost as important as the National Lawn Tennis Association Tournament in Rhode Island.
Many great players competed in this tournament. The list of winners includes famous names like Nat Emerson, Beals Wright, Bill Tilden, Bobby Riggs, Tony Trabert, May Sutton, Alice Marble, and Dorothy Bundy.
This tournament eventually grew into what is now known as the Western & Southern Open. This major tournament is now held in Mason, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the nation that is still played in its original city.
Famous Players from the Club
Nat Emerson and Tony Trabert
The Cincinnati Tennis Club has been home to several nationally ranked players. The first was Nat Emerson, who won the Tri-State Tournament in 1899. He was ranked No. 7 in Men's Singles in the USTA in 1908. Another important early player was Reuben A. Holden Jr., who won a college championship in 1910.
Forty-one years later, in 1951, club member Tony Trabert won the same college championship while playing for the University of Cincinnati. Barry MacKay also won this title in 1957.
Tony Trabert became one of the most famous tennis players in history. He played for the United States in the Davis Cup and later became its captain. He won the French singles title twice (1954-55) and also won Wimbledon and the U.S. singles in 1955. This made him one of only nine men in tennis history to win three of the four major titles in one year! He was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970. Court 2 at the club is named in his honor.
Bill Talbert
Bill Talbert was ranked among the top 10 players in the U.S. 13 times between 1941 and 1954. He won nine Grand Slam doubles titles. He also played for the Davis Cup team and was one of the most successful Davis Cup captains for the U.S. He was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967. He was also in the first group of people added to the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, along with Tony Trabert. After his playing career, he became the director of the US Open tournament. Both Talbert and Trabert, along with many other players, were coached by Howard Zaeh.
Davis Cup
The Cincinnati Tennis Club has continued to host world-class players and teams. In 1952, the club hosted a Davis Cup match, which was the first time this major international team tennis event was played in Cincinnati. These events helped grow interest in tennis in Cincinnati and the surrounding Ohio Valley area.
Notable Members
Besides many great tennis players, the Cincinnati Tennis Club has also had many important and famous citizens as members. These include:
- William Howard Taft, who was the 27th President of the United States and later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
- Potter Stewart, a Justice of the Supreme Court.
- Neil McElroy, who was the Secretary of Defense and the President of Procter & Gamble.
Many other members have been leaders in business, medicine, law, and teaching. From 1993 to 1995, member J. Howard "Bumpy" Frazer was the president of the USTA (United States Tennis Association). He was the first person from Cincinnati to lead this national organization. Another member, Alvin Bunis, started the first senior tour in tennis, which was also the first senior tour in either tennis or golf.
National Register of Historic Places
The Cincinnati Tennis Club has been at its current location since 1899. On March 29, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior. This honor recognizes the club's important role in developing and promoting the sport of tennis in Cincinnati and the Ohio Valley area.
National Father Son Clay Court Championships
Since 1974, the club has hosted the United States Tennis Association's National Father & Son Clay Court Championships.
