Arthur Ashe Stadium, the venue that hosts the United States Open tennis tournament, is getting an $800 million upgrade. The money, coming from the United States Tennis Association (USTA), is the single biggest investment in the tournament in U.S. Open history, according to USOpen.org. And it’s set to transform the famous court, while also building a Player Performance Center. Construction is set to complete by 2027, in time for that August’s Open.
Arthur Ashe Stadium opened in 1997, in Queens’ Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. It cost $254 million to build, and at 23,000 seats, it’s considered the largest tennis-focused stadium in the world. As part of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, visitors have access to multiple restaurants, a players’ lounge, 90 luxury suites, five restaurants, a two-level players’ lounge, and suites.
But there’s a lot more to come. The renovation, which is already underway as of October, 2024, is set to expand the promenade concourse by 40%, and “modernize” it with new amenities (including food and retail) as well as “increased access” to bathrooms. Updates listed on the U.S. Open website include: a new Grand Entrance “befitting the grandest stage in all of tennis,” two more levels for luxury suites, and “an upward extension of the courtside-level bowl with 2,000 new seats, expanding the courtside experience from 3,000 to 5,000 seats.”
The new Players Performance Center will feature lounges, courts, locker rooms, warmup areas, and other amenities (think: spas) for players to prepare for matches.
According to Engineering News-Record, WSP Group is “serving as structural engineer and ME Engineers as mechanical engineers.” The architect behind the project is design firm ROSSETTI, who also led the 1997 build of Arthur Ashe, as well as the retractable roof project, which added a 6,400-ton steel wonder in 2016. Rossetti’s portfolio also includes the Daytona Speedway. The firm is collaborating on the Grand Entrance with architect Daniel Libeskind, known for his work on One World Trade. They’re also working with Garrett Singer, known for his restaurant designs, on the updated stadium’s new food and drink spaces.
Notably, all of this will be funded by the USTA alone. Located in a New York City park, the stadium is said to impact the city’s economy by “more than $1.2 billion” related to the draw of the U.S. Open, which lasts three weeks. Where the USTA’s money comes from and where it goes (or doesn’t go) has been the subject of much scrutiny.
Luckily, the construction is not expected to disrupt the tournament itself.
