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Forest Hills: Former home of the US Open
By George Ramsay, for CNN
Published
7:54 AM EDT, Mon September 26, 2016
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An aerial shot of the West Side Tennis Club in suburban New York, circa 1937. The venue was famous for its horseshoe-shaped stadium and the stretch of grass courts leading to the clubhouse.
Bettmann/Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Huge crowds would regularly flock to Forest Hills at the end of the summer, when it hosted the US Open.
Bettmann/Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Brazil's Maria Bueno and Australia's Neal Fraser won the US Open singles titles in 1959.
Bettmann/Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Guillermo Villas celebrates after beating Jimmy Connors in the 1977 US Open final, the last time the tournament was held at Forest Hills.
New York Daily News Archive/New York Daily News/NY Daily News via Getty Images
Connors displays his athleticism on court at the US Open. He won two titles at Forest Hills and another three at Flushing Meadows.
New York Daily News/New York Daily News/NY Daily News via Getty Images
The 1937 US Davis Cup team in front of the iconic West Side clubhouse. From left to right: Don Budge, Bryan Grant, Walter L. Pate, Gene Mako, and Frank Parker.
Bettmann/Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
The final of the international teams tournament was held at Forest Hills 10 times, more than any other stadium. Its last staging there was in 1959.
Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
The US Open attracted larger crowds after moving to the USTA National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in 1978.
Robert Riger/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
As a result, Forest Hills has suffered. This ticket office is not nearly as busy as it used to be during the ground's US Open years.
West Side Tennis Club
Many parts of the stadium have since fallen into disrepair.
West Side Tennis Club
The clubhouse remains in excellent condition along with the smaller surrounding grass courts (pictured), and retains some of the "tea party" atmosphere from its halcyon days.
CNN/Ursin Caderas
However, the main arena fell into neglect.
CNN
It has been renovated since the arrival of a World Team Tennis franchise to Forest Hills.
West Side Tennis Club
The New York Empire team is coached by Patrick McEnroe (center) and includes, from left to right: Christina McHale, Maria Irigoyen, Marcus Willis and Neal Skupski.
CameraworkUSA
Former men's No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick also played for the franchise in 2016.
CameraworkUSA
The competition was founded by Billie Jean King. Here Open Court host Pat Cash walks past a mural of the US tennis legend during CNN's visit to Forest Hills.