LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The tennis courts at Louisville's Chickasaw Park could get a facelift.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy and the West Louisville Tennis Club are planning a restoration.
Chickasaw Park is believed to be the only park designed by the Olmsted firm for the Black community during segregation. Conservancy officials said Chickasaw Park was Muhammad Ali's favorite park. One of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis, Althea Gibson, played tennis on the park's courts during a tournament in the 1940s.
It opened in 1923, and the West Louisville Tennis Club formed the same year. A total of $300,000 is needed to replace six cracked courts at the park.
"For more than 100 years, West Louisville Tennis Club has elevated Chickasaw Park as a destination for regional tournaments, tennis clinics and for anyone who just wants to learn the game," Dr. Aretha Fuqua, president of the West Louisville Tennis Club, said in a news release Thursday. "We hope that the community will support our efforts to restore the courts to the condition befitting this historic park."
The West Louisville Tennis Club is a nonprofit that works to provide learning opportunities and structured programs promoting the game of tennis with a focus on the west Louisville community.
Throughout February, the Conservancy is working to raise $150,000 to match $150,000 allocated by Metro government.
For more information or to donate toward the restoration, click here.
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