[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong Stadium

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Allan Brown <allanbrown at dsl.pipex.com> wrote
>
> I was listening to the tennis (US Open) this evening and I got to  
> thinking how the Louis Armstrong Stadium was so named. A quick  
> google revealed that  at some stage in his life he lived nearby but  
> it seems a rather tenuous connection. Did he dig tennis? Was there a  
> campaign by jazz fans to get it named after the great man? Does  
> anyone know of a music venue named after a tennis player?
>
> Any light that can be thrown on my rather obscure enquiry will be  
> appreciated.
>
> All the best,

Dear Allan

Louis Armstrong stadium was originally named the Singer Bowl, and was  
built by the Singer Sewing Machine Co, to house their exhibit during  
the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows (a former swamp), circa 1965. The  
facility was re-named for Louis Armstrong by by the United States  
Tennis Association  (USTA) in 1972, shortly after Louis passed. At the  
time there was a campaign to entice young kids to learn tennis,  
Armstrong was a familiar name because of his house, just a few blocks  
away and his local hero status. The facility was a tennis camp and a  
venue for local players. Many of the area residents were black and the  
camp was successful in attracting the kids to the sport. Back then,  
the US Open was not played there.

In 1978, the US Tennis Association decided to move the US Open from  
Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows. The tennis facilities use about 10%  
of the total land. The stadium was modernized and became the main  
court. It didn't seem proper to remove the Armstrong name. Then in  
1992, the USTA constructed Arthur Ashe Stadium as its main court (he  
had been instrumental in  establishing the tennis camp) and Louis  
Armstrong stadium became the secondary court. The refurbishing and new  
construction was necessary to accommodate all the fans who come to see  
the open.

I don 't know of any other tennis facilities named after jazz  
musicians. But by the same token don't know of any airports named  
after tennis players either.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband