CityState : Current
The Indoor Tennis Court has been an East Providence fixture since 1914 ; at right is owner Tom Brun .
A Labor of Love
For Tom Brun , owning the Indoor Tennis Court has been a welcome , but unexpected , twist of fate . By Eve Stockwell
Tucked into a nondescript side street in East Providence is one of the country ’ s oldest indoor tennis courts .
The Indoor Tennis Court , as it ’ s aptly known , was commissioned by socialite and philanthropist Lyra Brown Nickerson in 1913 . It opened with a Halloween-themed “ tennis ball ” on Oct . 31 , 1914 — complete with a tennis match , witch hats , a buffet dinner and dancing — and has been hosting tennis royalty ever since .
It ’ s the second-oldest indoor single tennis court in the country , according to Tom Brun , who ’ s owned it since 1990 . He oversees a roster of about 350 regulars who play at the court , scheduling practice and match times and performing preservation and maintenance on the 110-year-old landmark .
From breaking his foot during his first year of ownership — a bat spooked from its precarious perch and a tall ladder were involved — to being on-site most days and performing meticulous upkeep on the building , being curator of such a historical site has truly been a labor of love .
“ I ’ ve been here for thirty-four years , and the people are really great ,” says the East Providence resident . “ It ’ s really been a friendship . They ’ re sort of like my family .”
He became owner in a very Rhode Island way — he knew a guy . Specifically , he knew Eddie Anelundi , the famed coach of the Barrington High School girls ’ tennis team who owned the court from 1976 to 1990 . They ’ d grown up a street apart in the Six Corners area of the city .
So when Brun casually mentioned that he ’ d be interested in buying the court someday , Anelundi remembered and sent him a typewritten note letting him know it was for sale . Brun gladly accepted , and thirty-four years later , he ’ s still here .
Sadly , Lyra Brown Nickerson , the court ’ s first owner , did not have such a lengthy ownership period . The heiress to the Brown & Sharpe family fortune died of typhoid fever at her home in Narragansett Pier in August 1916 , only two years after the court was built . ( Previous to the court ’ s opening , she visited Europe in the summer of 1914 , where German soldiers accused her of being a Russian spy — no light accusation given the political climate of the time .)
Several famous tennis pros have played at the court , including R . Norris Williams , a Titanic survivor who won Olympic gold , and Molla Mallory , the oldest woman to win what is now the US Open at forty-two years of age . The legendary Arthur Ashe volleyed with an executive from the Outlet Company in 1975 when Ashe was in town promoting a line of tennis wear .
The court has been meticulously cared for over the years . The original glass roof soars overhead , letting in loads of natural light during the day , but the original floor has been replaced to give players better traction . And this summer , Brun was busy shoring up the wood siding , getting ready for another season .
The Indoor Tennis Court is open September through May . While most players pay for the season upfront , Brun also accommodates willcall players at a rate of $ 48 or $ 52 an hour . indoortenniscourt . com 🆁
PHOTOGRAPHY : DANA LAVERTY .
20 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2024