Louis Armstrong Stadium is a tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments. It is located at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens; it was the main stadium before Arthur Ashe Stadium opened in 1997, and is now the No. 2 stadium. The stadium was named after the famous African American jazz musician, Louis Armstrong (who lived nearby until his death in 1971).
The stadium opened on the site in 1964 for the 1964 New York World's Fair and due to the sponsorship of the Singer Corporation it was called the Singer Bowl. In 1978, the US Open moved to Flushing from Forest Hills. The Singer Bowl was heavily renovated to host the Open, essentially being divided into two new stadiums, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the adjacent Grandstand Stadium. The stadium held close to 18,000 at its peak usage.
In 1997, the stadium was replaced by Arthur Ashe Stadium as the main stadium for the US Open. Louis Armstrong Stadium was renovated again, reducing its capacity to around 10,200 and adding a brick facade to match that of the adjacent Ashe Stadium.
Attached to the Louis Armstrong Stadium is the Grandstand, the third largest stadium at the US Open with a seating capacity of about 6,000.
In November 2010 the USTA approved plans to demolish and rebuild the Louis Armstrong stadium. Its replacement won't have a roof but will have scope for a roof if needed.
Famous quotes containing the words louis, armstrong and/or stadium:
“To make our idea of morality centre on forbidden acts is to defile the imagination and to introduce into our judgments of our fellow-men a secret element of gusto.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
“There dwelt a man in faire Westmerland,
Jonnë Armestrong men did him call,
He had nither lands nor rents coming in,
Yet he kept eight score men in his hall.”
—Unknown. Johnie Armstrong (l. 1–4)
“In their eyes I have seen
the pin men of madness in marathon trim
race round the track of the stadium pupil.”
—Patricia K. Page (b. 1916)