International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum

International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum Review

The photographs, memorabilia, and multimedia exhibits at the Hall of Fame chronicle the entire history of the game, dating back to the 12th century. The magnificent, shingle-style Newport Casino, which houses the collection, was designed by Stanford White and built in 1880. Now a National Historic Landmark, it was commissioned by publisher James Gordon Bennett Jr., who had quit the nearby club, the Newport Reading Room, after a polo player—at Bennett's behest—rode a horse into the building and was subsequently banned. Built in retaliation, Bennett's casino quickly became the social and recreational hot spot of the Gilded Age. Today, the 6-acre venue has 13 grass courts, one clay court, a court-tennis facility, and three indoor courts—all available for public play. In mid-July, the facility hosts the prestigious Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, the only men's professional tournament in the nation held on grass courts.