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Renovation key for South Orange tennis club
By
Philip Sean Curran Staff Writer |
The Orange Lawn Tennis Club, the second oldest of its kind in the
country, has been a part of South Orange for more than 100 years.
But the club is losing money, and its future might depend on what
happens in front of the Planning Board next month.
The club has applied to add 3,953 square feet to its existing 2 1/ 2
story clubhouse. Doing so will require replacing a roughly 1,200 square
foot room in the club house and an outdoor tent.
In addition the club wants to install a new swimming pool and patio and
add two clay court tennis courts, as well as more parking.
The club is interested in attracting new members and retaining current
ones.
“ The last couple of years and currently, the club is losing an
unsustainable amount of money,” said Mark Schaevitz, a member of the
club’s board of governors, during his testimony before the Planning
Board Sept. 5.“
And we’re prepared to make this investment ... borrow the money, take
this risk, to put ourselves back onto a road to fiscal health as well
as live in a much better and more compatible method with our neighbors
...,” he said. |
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Photo by Andrew Medeiros The Orange Lawn Tennis Club will come
before the Planning Board next month to request permission to renovate
facilities. The club would like to to add 3,953 square feet to its
existing 2 1/2 story clubhouse. |
The club makes money in two ways: through
memberships and playing host to parties and events. The club has 240
tennis members and last year had 62 functions.
But in his testimony this month, Schaevitz did not try to sugarcoat the
predicament facing the club.
“ We are under tremendous financial pressure to start building this
room to continue to have enough functions to survive ...,” he said
during that meeting. “ We are under more duress than I would like to
admit.” He did not elaborate or provide specifics of the club finances.
To install the pool and patio, the club proposes to remove an existing
tennis court.
In addition, the club would remove a basketball court, three storage
buildings and part of an existing parking area.
The club wants to get working on the building addition this winter, but
does not have a schedule for the rest of the work.
“ We’re only able to secure enough money to build the first portion,”
he said. “ We need to complete that, take a pause, prove to our
membership — who in the end is paying for it — that we can execute a
plan and then go back to the well ... to ask for the money to do the
second” part.
According to its Web site, Orange Lawn has 20 tennis courts, 10 of which
are grass.
The club also has a swimming pool, five platform tennis courts and a
lawn bowling court, the Web site read.
Founded in 1880, the club once was located in the Montrose section
of town, said Nancy Heins- Glaser, who produced “ Once Upon a
Gaslight,” a video documentary of South Orange.
In 1916, the club moved into a Italianate mansion on North Ridgewood
Road, she said. In all, the club occupies around 16 acres of land just
up from South Orange Middle School. Like Wimbledon, tennis whites are
the fashion rule. The club has seen tennis greats Rod Laver, Althea
Gibson, John McEnroe and others grace its courts.
But it has not been a love match between the club and its neighbors. The
club is surrounded by singlefamily homes, all in one of the wealthiest
sections of South Orange. Over the years, neighbors have complained
about noise from parties at the club. Some of them attended the Planning
Board last month, when they asked Schaevitz about the plan. “ If it
doesn’t work out, what assurances can you give to the homeowners and the
neighborhood that the place won’t be sold and we won’t be looking at
condos in our backyard?” asked George Garneau of Forrest Road.
“ I’m not Nostradamus,” he replied. “ No one wants Orange Lawn to go
away.”
He added: “ We are faced with extremely hard decisions if we are unable
to do this.”
“ I don’t have a plan B.”
The club is scheduled to go back in front of the Planning Board Oct. 1,
according to the village. The hearing is scheduled to start at 7 p. m.
Philip Sean Curran can be
reached at 973-763-0700, ext. 110, or at
newsrecord@
thelocalsource.com.
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