St. Johns Racquet Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Johns Racquet Center |
|
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | indoor tennis and racquetball courts |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Address | 7519 N Burlington Ave |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°35′29″N 122°45′17″W / 45.59139°N 122.75472°W |
| Current tenants | Portland After-School Tennis & Education |
| Groundbreaking | 1976 |
| Opened | 1979 |
| Cost | US$883,537 (US$3,562,505 adjusted for inflation) |
| Owner | City of Portland |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | prefabricated |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Richard L. Glassford and Associations |
| Structural engineer | Hess Building Company |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 3 tennis courts, 4 racquetball courts |
The St. Johns Racquet Center is a cool indoor sports place in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It opened in 1979. People go there to play tennis and racquetball. The city of Portland owns it. A group called Portland After-School Tennis & Education (PASTE) helps run it now. It used to be managed by Portland Parks & Recreation.
A Look Back: History of the Center
Building the Racquet Center
The idea for the St. Johns Racquet Center came up in 1976. But it took until 1979 to open. There were some delays with getting parts from the company that made the building.
The building is a prefabricated building, which means it was built in pieces somewhere else. Then it was put together on site. It covers about 27,500 square feet. Richard L. Glassford and Associations designed it. The total cost to build it was about US$883,537. Most of the money came from the Economic Development Administration.
Fun Events and Changes Over Time
In 1981, there was a big round robin tennis tournament held at the center. It was for college athletes from the NAIA.
In 1983, there was talk about closing the center. But instead, they just changed the hours it was open. This meant people could still enjoy playing there.
A racquetball club called the "Smashers" started at the center in 1984. The center also hosted table tennis tournaments in 1987 and 1988. This shows it was a busy place for different sports!
Over the years, there were a few ideas to change how the center was run. Some plans suggested a private company could operate it. Other ideas included tearing it down to build apartments. But none of these plans ever happened.
Today, the center is still a popular spot. It hosts many tennis matches for the Portland Interscholastic League. Portland After-School Tennis & Education (PASTE) now manages the center. They help kids learn and play tennis.
