The Tennis Center in Central Park offers lessons and programs.
Location: MAP | Enter the park at 93rd Street near the West Drive Phone: (212) 316-0800 (main facility) or (212) 280-0205 (weather & court availability) Hours: 6:30am till dusk. Tennis season runs from the first Sunday of April to the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
Whether you're an expert or a beginner, the Central Park Tennis Center is a fantastic place to play and offers the largest collection of public courts in the city, with a total of 30 outdoor courts.
It is a public facility and offers a variety of professional lessons and programs for all ages and at any level. The premises includes 26 newly reconditioned Har-tru (clay) courts, 4 hard courts, a pro shop with on-site stringing, a snack bar, and locker rooms.
Famous tennis players Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, and others have frequented these picturesque courts, which are surrounded by some of the most beautiful foliage in Central Park, including elm, black cherry, and mulberry trees.
For hours and permits for public play, please visit our tennis page. For lessons, groups, and summer camp information please visit the official website of the Central Park Tennis Center.
History
Sometime after 1910, permanent courts were built, and over time they acquired backstops and fencing. By 1927, there were 30 courts (the present number) and then there were demands for a fieldhouse with lockers and showers. In 1930, the Tennis House was completed and more than 5,000 season permits for the courts, costing $2, were issued.
In the 1970’s the Central Park Conservancy and NYC Parks Department started to reexamine the park, its function, the layout along with the few permanent structures and buildings that exist in the park.
The Tennis House was never part of the original design of the park. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission gave permission to demolish the existing Tennis House in April 1986, at which time there were no protests. However, a group of people then gathered to object to the plans, saying that the new Tennis House would be too small and situated too far away from the courts. Due to the financial crisis of that time, the Tennis House was left standing and the plans for a new one were forgotten. Instead, money was raised and donated to renovate the existing structure. The structure that you see standing today looks very much as it did 80 years ago.