The Indoor Tennis Court in East Providence is a Labor of Love

The Indoor Tennis Court has been an East Providence fixture since 1914. Photography by Dana Laverty.

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. 

The court’s exterior. Photography by Dana Laverty.

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. 

Owner Tom Brun. Photography by Dana Laverty.

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 will-call players at a rate of $48 or $52 an hour. indoortenniscourt.com