F.H. Tennis Stadium Serves More Concerts
The West Side Tennis Club reached out to Forest Hills residents on Monday night, Apr. 29, nearly a year after music group Mumford and Sons played at the club’s Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, which left some living near the venue inconvenienced.
During a town hall meeting at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Club President Ronald Meier explained the club is not cheap to operate, with expenses running at $1,300 a day and $120,000 a year-not to mention annual real estate taxes of $500,000.
Holding six concerts during the summer, he said, will offset these costs and provide funds for additional maintenance such as a new fence around the perimeter.
Last year, the club’s concert promoters-Mike Lupa and John McMillan-organized the stadium’s first concert in 20 years, when folk group Mumford and Sons played at the stadium in August. The act brought in over 16,000 people, causing overcrowding and long lines, according to Lupa.
Editor’s note: Promoters announced on Twitter Tuesday, Apr. 29, that one of the Forest Hills Stadium concerts will take place on Aug. 9, when Brand New and Modest Mouse-two alternative rock bands-take the stage.
Many attendees at Monday’s meeting feared problems that came with that concert would not be fixed for the summer, stating their inconvenience is at the club’s benefit.
Last year’s show reportedly began at 5 p.m. and concert goers showed up early in the morning for seats, leaving them to loiter in the area for hours.
One Forest Hills resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalled that his house’s windows rattled from the noise. He worried about the structural integrity of his home, among other damages, if the concerts go on.
Residents are unsure if the inconvenience will be worth the benefits.
Alex Tola, a local business owner, has been living near the club for two years. He wanted hard evidence the concerts will bring the neighborhood revenue.
“It’s only good for the 12 percent of business selling perishable goods,” Tola said, referring to bars and restaurants. Other businesses like lawyers and doctors won’t benefit but will still suffer the consequences of overcrowding and no parking for miles, he noted.
Other complaints voiced included disruptive concert noise, drug use, pop-up merchandise stands, stadium lights and even public urination.
The 112th Precinct was at the meeting to deal with residents’ complaints directly.
Lupa and McMillan hope to “bring back world class music” to Forest Hills, but admits it’s tricky getting a 100-year-old stadium back in working order. They noted last year was a “learning experience.”
This year there will between 3,000 and 4,000 fewer tickets, and all available seats will be assigned seating, eliminating early queues.
Temporary bathrooms will be installed around the stadium for a ratio of one bathroom for every 110 people, it was noted.
“I feel like we have a very proactive and effective plan to keep people from urinating in the neighborhood,” Lupa said.
Concerts will end at 10 p.m., sparing locals from bright lights late at night and aiding in the dispersement of the crowds out of the neighborhood. Enhanced public transportation options are also being considered.
Chris Collett of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce reminded the room that every time there’s a new successful business or restaurant, complaints come with it.
“We got to get over it,” he said. “It was the tennis stadium that put [Forest Hills] on the map in the first place.”
City Council Member Karen Koslowitz stated last summer she stood on Austin Street and watched people come out of the subway for the concert and was “totally, totally amazed” at how well behaved they were.
She commended Capt. Thomas J. Conforti, the 112th Precinct commanding officer, for doing a “fabulous” job in providing security detail before, during and after the show.
“Whatever is going on, they (the concert organizers) have been very cooperative,” Koslowitz added. “We have all worked together-the community board, the concert promoters, the captain-to make sure our neighborhood is safe. … As far as the businesses on Austin Street, ladies and gentlemen, we have to save our community.”
The West Side Tennis Club was founded in 1892 and operated on a small plot in Central Park. After moving around the city, it moved to its current Forest Hills location in 1923. The club has hosted 60 US Open Tennis Championships until 1977, when the tournament relocated to the National Tennis Center..
From 1961 through the 1990s, popular acts such as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Diana Ross, Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan performed at the tennis stadium.
