By Bianca Fortis
The Forest Hills Tennis Stadium came back to life last month when it hosted English folk rock band Mumford & Sons.
The arena has sat dormant for years, but recently the West Side Tennis Club sought to resuscitate it with the Aug. 28 concert.
The club built the stadium in 1923 to hold the US Open. When the tournament moved to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 1978, the stadium was turned into a venue for musical acts, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bette Midler.
But eventually the concerts stopped amid complaints about raucous crowds.
The recent concert by the British folk rock group was a testament to the stadium’s capability as a venue: the stadium, which can fit 16,000 people, was sold out.
Currently 18 more concerts — six each year for the next three years — are being planned.
Roland Meier, the president of the club, said, while some adjustments need to be made before more concerts happen, overall the event went well.
“I try to look at the big picture of success,” he said.
But a group of Forest Hills residents who live adjacent to the arena is criticizing the way they were treated in their own neighborhood.
The residents, including Bryan Deutsch, a resident for 30 years, started a website, foresthillsconcertfiasco.org, to seek comments and complaints from others frustrated by the event.
The site features a public form and a link to a petition that asks community leaders and event organizers to “improve conditions for area residents and concertgoers.”
While some comments are positive, others complain about concertgoers who left behind trash or urinated in public and on private property. Deutsch said one of the biggest problems he observed was police setting up barricades that prevented residents from moving freely through the neighborhood.
Residents had been told that they would be accommodated and be able to pass through as long as they showed identification, but that was not the case, Deutsch said.
Initially, police had blocked access to Samuel Picker Square Park, which sits across from the stadium. In the past locals would sit in the park and listen to concerts. Access was later restored.
Deutsch said residents, including an elderly person trying to get to Rite-Aid to pick up medication, were forced to walk six blocks around the area to get to Austin Street rather than just walk down Burns Street.
Meier said he and other event organizers will meet this month to discuss community members’ concerns.
“These people complaining — we hear them,” he said. “We have not seen or heard anything that cannot be addressed.”
Deutsch said he and the other group members hope to meet City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), members of Community Board 6, police and others to share their concerns.
“We’re not against the concerts,” Deutsch said. “We know it helps the area, and it helps other people. We just want some input on how it’s going to affect our neighborhood.”
Deutsch said once residents were able to sit in the park, they enjoyed themselves. He had no complaints about the music.
“I have people out there in their 90s listening to Mumford & Sons,” he said. “You have to admit that’s pretty cool.”
Reach reporter Bianca Fortis by email at bfortis@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
