USTA unveils US Open expansion and Ashe Stadium roof plans: will also put one on Armstrong Stadium

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 16th August 2013

Redesign of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

USTA unveils US Open expansion and Ashe Stadium roof plans: will also put one on Armstrong Stadium

epa03825899 Handout released by Rosetti on 15 August 2013 shows Architectural Model of the redesigned USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA. The Plans include retractable roofs on Arthur Ash Stadium and two new stadiums along with enhanced player and fan amenities. EPA/- HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES |

The USTA plans to go above and beyond what the other Grand Slams currently have to offer as it announced plans for a sweeping transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

That plan, which is anticipated to cost $550 million dollars, will include building a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the construction of two new stadiums, one of which, the new Louis Armstrong stadium, will also have a roof. The retractable roof on Ashe is estimated to cost in excess of $100 million.

The completion of the retractable roof for Arthur Ashe Stadium, which will open and close in 5 to 7 minutes, is scheduled for August 2017, although the USTA is hoping it might get done by 2016 if the permit process moves smoothly.

The USTA has come under criticism over the past decade or so for not having built a roof on Ashe when it went up in 1997, but as the USTA’s Danny Zausner said, there was no way to know that the region’s, weather would change so drastically.

“In 2002 we had some rain during the US Open. I was directed to get an architect onboard,” he said. “At the same time I went back and looked at the statistical data for 100 years which showed us the week before and after Labor Day was one of the driest times of the year. If you look back at the amount of sessions that were canceled over the last 50 years, you can count them on two hands at best. When you go 2008 through 2012, obviously that has changed and we can’t rely on statistical data anymore.”

The entire transformation will be implemented in three phases to begin at the conclusion of the 2013 US Open, with the goal of overall completion by the 2018 US Open.

“We have been working toward a viable design for a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium for more than a decade,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dave Haggerty. “Through a long and arduous process, we feel that we now have a design that meets the criteria of being architecturally sound, aesthetically pleasing, reasonably affordable and buildable.”

In addition to the roof on Ashe Stadium, phase one of construction is scheduled to include the shifting of the existing practice courts and two tournament courts to the north. This will allow the construction of an expanded viewing area for the practice courts and the three new tournament courts

“Obviously, we’ve been working on this vision for several years. Before it could be realized, there were some significant hurdles we had to overcome,” said Gordon Smith, USTA Executive Director. “How do you tear down two aging stadiums and build two larger stadiums on the same site with a minimal amount of additional land. How do you put a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest in the world? It wasn’t built for a roof, and the land conditions around it on the site are abysmal. How are you going to eliminate crowd congestion, elevate the fan experience and at the same time invite 10,000 more people a day to your tournament? How are you going to ensure at the end of this transformation that you have built a future ready state-of-the-art facility that is deserving of hosting a world-class event in the most world class of cities? We have our Grand Slam partners to compete with, and they raise the bar every year on facilities and fan experience.”

The retractable roof is being designed by Rossetti, the designer and architect of Arthur Ashe Stadium, as well as Indian Wells and Miami stadium.

The USTA has hired Hunt Construction Group to build the retractable roof structure. Eight steel columns surrounding Arthur Ashe Stadium will support the retractable roof, which is to be constructed of flexible, translucent PTFE fabric stretched over a steel frame.

Phase two of the transformation will be anchored by the construction of a new 8,000-seat Grandstand Stadium in the southwest quadrant of the Tennis Center. Simultaneously, field courts 7 through 16 will be moved south so that a larger pedestrian and fan esplanade can be created, better connecting the new Grandstand with the sunken Court 17.

The project’s final phase will include the construction of a new 15,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium. The USTA expects final design work for Armstrong to be completed in the next 12 to 18 months. The targeted completion date of the stadium, which will be built roof-ready is August 2018. Also during the third phase, the USTA will complete a series of upgrades to the East Entrance, the most trafficked entry point to the US Open.

“It’s going to be a remarkably new place and new feel, you won’t even recognize it,” Smith said. “We recognize there are many known, and certainly many unknown, hurdles we will have to confront to meet this schedule. We are ready for the challenge and hope we can achieve it.”

The USTA says it will help pay for the improvement through borrowing and new revenue, but pledged that the new courts will have still have a substantial amount of general admission seating. Smith said that they have no plans to put the costs of the expansion on the shoulders of their ticket holders.

As a direct result of these enhancements to the NTC, the facility will be able to accommodate an extra 10,000 people each day during the US Open (from about 40,000), increasing attendance by approximately 100,000 new visitors

Architect Matt Rossetti said that with the roof, the swirling winds that can affect play on one side of Ashe stadium will be mitigated.