International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport
International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport
Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a museum and historic establishment that is dedicated to archiving the history, events, and remarkable players in the game of Tennis, featuring shrines to players of both the past and today. The Hall Of Fame is hosted at the historical Newport casino, where it has been since the museum's inception in 1954.
The Hall of Fame was founded by tennis guru James Van Alen. Alen chose the Casino mainly due to it's historic context, as it hosted the first ever national U.S. Tennis championship game in 1881. The hall of fame has been in successful operation ever since those beginning days in the fifties, and it is constantly undergoing expansion.
The Casino was a very fitting choice for the Hall of fame, as it is a building with a lot of history and character. Built in 1883, the Newport Casino had it's own heyday, as it was the center for the town's commerce and activities. it was somewhat like the 19th century equivalent to a modern day mall in that it had various shops, restaurants, sports, a ball room, and other activities that were available to the community.
It is very fitting indeed that such a historically relevant building be the home of a Hall of Fame documenting some of the very history that was made between it's walls. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a great place to go to learn some new history, and it is an essential experience for Tennis fans, or for those who simply want to know a little bit more about the history of Newport.
