Arthur Ashe Stadium Is About to Get Renovated

One of New York City’s pre-eminent sporting facilities is going to look a little different when next year’s U.S. Open comes around. Arthur Ashe Stadium, named in honor of the late tennis legend, opened its doors in 1997 and had a retractable roof added 19 years later. With the ability to hold more than 23,000 spectators, it’s also one of the largest sports venues in the five boroughs of the city.

And soon, renovations will be underway. Writing at Dezeen, Ellen Eberhardt has information on the changes that are coming to the stadium in the wake of this year’s U.S. Open. Architecture firm Rosetti — who also handled the addition of the aforementioned retractable roof, as well as other sports-related projects — are handling this new phase of the stadium’s development along with the engineers at WSP.

Some of the changes will be in place for next year’s tournament, but the work — which will include new and upgraded seating options — will continue until 2027. That factors into one of the more complex aspects of this project: it’s a multi-year renovation effort that can’t disrupt the 2026 U.S. Open.

“You can’t relocate this event. For tennis, there is no backup venue,” WSP structural engineer Ahmad Rahimian told Dezeen. “That makes this project incredibly unique, but it also makes our deadline immobile.”

A Tennis Vacation in the Midwest’s Golf Mecca

Most men go to Sand Valley to tee off on its dune-sculpted courses. I went in search of grass courts and “real tennis.”

The renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium isn’t the only change coming to the U.S. Open’s facilities in the coming years. In a May article for The New York Times, David Waldstein chronicled the work planned for the space. Waldstein wrote that the changes will also encompass “an opulent new building for the players” including cafes and spaces to train. The overall cost of the renovation efforts will be $800 million.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…