West Side Tennis Club Rejects Condo Proposal

Photo courtesy Michael Perlman and the Rego-Forest Preservation Council

By Eric Yun

Forest Hills’ historic West Side Tennis Stadium is safe for now. Club members voted down an offer to sell the historic stadium to neighborhood real estate company Cord Meyer Friday night.

The stadium is owned and operated by the West Side Tennis Club, which operates 38 tennis courts adjacent to the stadium. Facing financial struggles - the Wall Street Journal reported that club membership dues covered less than 50 percent of the club’s operating expenses - the club’s board decided to listen to offers for selling the stadium.

Cord Meyer’s proposal called for renovating the exterior façade of the stadium and building condominiums inside of the walls. The sale of the property would have given the financially struggling West Side Tennis Club reportedly $9 million.

The proposal was met with resistance from the start. Michael Perlman from the Rego-Forest Preservation Council made a strong push to get the stadium landmarked. Others simply did not like Cord Meyer’s design. Club member Christine Schott described the proposed complex as more “Ft. Lauderdale than Forest Hills.”

Also, some members believed Cord Meyer was not offering proper market value for the stadium. Cushman & Wakefield independently appraised the site in September at $9.7 million. Cord Meyer’s proposal was $9 million plus an additional $750,000 for repairs to the club’s enclosure and other renovations. However, a club member and appraiser David Kra released a report questioning the methods used by Cushman & Wakefield and appraised the property at $15.5 million.

A two-thirds majority was needed to approve the project, and the final vote was deadlocked at 123-123. According to Schott’s Forest Hills Garden Blog, the official tally counts members who did not vote were counted as a no vote, which means 56 percent of members voted against the sale.

Rep. Anthony Weiner has been a strong supporter for the stadium’s preservation. Following the vote, he praised club members for voting against the sale. “My neighbors and I are gratified by the decision of the members of the West Side Tennis Club to reject the proposal to sell development rights to the historic stadium,” said Weiner (D-Forest Hills). “This will give us a chance to take a step back, take a deep breath and explore the best way forward to preserve this iconic site while respecting the rights of the club members.”

Now that the sale is off the table, club members must decide what to do with the stadium. It is still in need of major repairs—some estimates call for $12 million.

Cord Meyer Chief Operating Officer Anthony Colletti said the company is “very disappointed” about the vote. He felt there was strong support for the stadium—the board unanimously supported the sale, according to Colletti, and 123 members did vote yes. However, they were 42 votes short to attain the two-thirds super majority.

There were many issues Cord Meyer had to contend with to complete the sale. The most immediate threat was the ongoing effort to landmark the stadium. For Colletti, it seemed that “a vote against the deal was a vote for landmarking.”

Perlman wants the city to move forward and landmark the property. He believes that landmark status along with new creative uses for the stadium can help preserve the Forest Hills community and become economically viable.

A landmark designation would add prestige to the location and open the doors for grant money to help renovate the site, Perlman explained. Outside companies might also be interested in running programs in a historic site.

“Disney-esque condos would have torn the heart out of Forest Hills,” Perlman said in a release. “Mixed-use creative revitalization would yield a greater economic return in the long-run, and may feature tennis matches, concerts, weddings, exhibits, school trips, charity events, music and art festivals.”

The simplest way to inject life into the stadium is to restore its tennis tradition, argued Perlman, who would like to see a tennis academy to be built at the stadium. In August, Weiner proposed returning the US Open to the West Side Tennis Club for one match. “It is time for the United States Tennis Association to give back to Forest Hills,” Weiner wrote to USTA Chair and President Lucy Garvin.

Other proposals include reintroducing concerts at the stadium. There have been discussions with the New York Philharmonic to hold its summer concert series at the venue. No matter what the stadium is used for, Perlman wants it to become a “twenty- first century family destination.”

Whatever happens with the stadium, Cord Meyer probably will not be involved. Colletti noted that the project was not a purely profitable endeavor, but felt the company could regain losses through building good will and publicity through the project.

But never say never. “If we got a phone call we’d be interested,” Colletti said. However, he would ask the board to have club members vote first to see if they are even interested in selling the stadium. Colletti, however, doesn’t foresee members ever being interested in selling the stadium.

Push to Landmark Tennis Stadium as Vote on Sale Nears

By Eric Yun

As West Side Tennis Club officials move forward with a proposed plan to sell the historic West Side Tennis Stadium, local politicians, residents and club members are fighting to preserve the iconic venue.

The West Side Tennis Stadium hosted the U.S. Open from 1923 to 1977. The 15,000-seat stadium was deemed too small to continue hosting the event, which was moved to Flushing Meadow. The stadium also hosted several famous concerts including The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Who.

The stadium is owned by the West Side Tennis Club, which also operates 38 tennis adjacent courts. In an effort to revitalize the area, club officials entered an agreement with Cord Meyer Corporation to build approximately 70 condominium units on the site. The sale of the property would reportedly give the West Side Tennis Club between $9 and $10 million. Club members are expected to vote on the proposal on September 23.

Cord Meyer’s tentative plans include renovating the exterior walls of the tennis stadium and building the apartment complex within the walls. This type of development is not unprecedented: old coliseums in Rome were used in this way, according to Anthony Colletti, Chief Operating Officer of Cord Meyer. Furthermore, the chief architect of the project stud- ied in Rome and understands how to build these types of structures.

Some club members are not thrilled with the proposed project, which was depicted in renderings issued by Cord Meyer. “It’s quite modern,” said Christine Schott. “It’s not in keeping with traditional Forest Hills Garden guidelines.” Schott added that the proposed condo development looks more like something in Fort Lauderdale than Forest Hills.

The Forest Hills Garden Association, which has jurisdiction over some of the land the stadium covers, has strict guidelines on what can be done on its property. Schott explained that even repainting a house can be cumbersome because the exact same color must be used.
Colletti contends Cord Meyer met with the Forest Hills Garden Association, and they accepted their tentative plans.

Members were also displeased with how this entire situation arose. One club member questioned the decision to enter an agreement to sell the stadium to Cord Meyer before asking members if they wanted to sell. There were also concerns over how the Tennis Club board negotiated their agreement with Cord Meyer.

Colletti understands if club members may have felt “kept in the dark” during their negotiations with the West Side Tennis Club, but he points out that everything is still in the tentative stages. “There’s nothing to even talk about without approval,” he said. “We didn’t want to waste [anyone’s] time.”

Colletti feels there has been a lot of “misinformation” about the sale of the stadium and Cord Meyer’s plans for the apartment complex. “We feel if people know all the facts, the vast majority of people will favor it.”

Still, with such a historic stadium facing extinction, there are many who are looking for ways to preserve it. One possible way to save the stadium is to have it landmarked. Last week, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D- Kew Gardens), City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D- Forest Hills) and Senator Toby Ann Stravinsky (D- Flushing) urged the city Landmarks Preservation Commission to study whether the stadium should receive landmark status.

“The West Side Tennis Stadium has been a longtime fixture in the Forest Hills community,” said Koslowitz. “We need to make sure that we explore all possible avenues in relation to landmarking, as we owe it the residents of the community.”

Weiner questioned why club members are the only people who have a say in what happens to the stadium. “The future of this historic stadium should be decided by the whole community,” Weiner said. “That is why we’re making sure that all possible options are explored.”

Colletti questioned whether the Landmarks Commission would grant landmark status to an old deteriorating building. He doesn’t believe the stadium could support many other options, arguing that it is too small to hold large-scale events and too big to operate as a small-scale venue.

Cord Meyer officials say they understand the stadium is an iconic structure in Queens, and wants to preserve as much of the stadium’s history as possible. A museum within the apartment complex to celebrate the tennis and concerts that were held at the stadium was proposed.

West Side Tennis Club members would also receive many benefits from the new complex. Cord Meyer intends to build a state of the art spa, health club and indoor pool that will be available for use to members.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Colletti said.