The nation’s first nonprofit indoor tennis club built by and for the African-American community is embarking on the initial leg of a campus renovation.
Built in 1961, the Boston Tennis and Athlete Enrichment Center broke ground Jan. 14 on the final half of a four-phase project being built by Brookline, Mass.-based Kaplan Construction.
Next will be a combination of construction, renovation and outdoor work, which will double the size of the gym, improve locker rooms, create a kitchen for teaching, add a dedicated administrative wing with conference space, create a new 8,600-square-foot ADA-accessible lobby and welcome center with a ground-floor pro shop, and build two new outdoor tennis courts.
The first two phases of the project included the indoor enrichment program area and a new nurse’s office.
Photo by Gregg Shupe
“There are many types of pieces that we typically see on different jobs, a renovation piece, a new structure, and outdoor work,” says Jacqueline Maloney, Kaplan’s project manager for the new phases. “We’re used to doing all these things, but the interesting thing is to add them all to one job, one general scope of work.”
All of this comes after the completion of the first two phases, a $6.6 million project that began in October 2023 with a new 24,000-square-foot prefab building to house four additional tennis courts, new ice wall foundations, site drainage, outdoor court lighting and renovations to an indoor enrichment program area.
The new phases include infill between existing buildings with a new connector structure, so Maloney says managing existing conditions and accounting for conditions not shown in the drawings will present unexpected challenges. With a lot of specialized work, from waterproofing details to an acoustic roof over steel to glass windows, and because the spaces are relatively small, construction will move through each building quickly and will require you to have all materials in place and ready.
The final two phases of the project come after the completion of the first two phases, a $6.6 million project that includes a 24,000-square-foot prefab building to house four additional tennis courts.
Photo courtesy of Kaplan Construction
Nate Peck, owner and president of Kaplan who was named to ENR’s 2018 National 20 Under 40 list, says the challenge of the project is to tie the renovated areas and built-out parts to “existing structures and all the exterior work that’s going on while maintaining a fully operational facility.”
Kaplan will also build two outdoor rinks, which require an underground stormwater system.
“This project is about more than adding square footage or courts,” says Sportsmen CEO Toni Wiley. “This is about building the infrastructure we need to fully fulfill our mission as a national youth learning and tennis organization. The expansion allows us to integrate education, health and tennis in an accessible, welcoming and sustainable way for our community.”
Kaplan came to the project nearly two years after an initial bid. Another contractor was selected but couldn’t move forward, leading Sportsmen’s to call Kaplan. “I think they’re glad they did,” Peck says. “It’s working out great.”
The previous two phases of the project involved the construction of new frost wall foundations.
Photo courtesy of Kaplan Construction
The first phase brought an unexpected challenge. About a month before construction began, Kaplan’s team identified that the four-foot ice walls under the courthouses were uneven, posing risks to the courthouses and the building. “We had a ‘Oh man, this is a big problem here, what are we going to do?’ moment,” says Sean Lepore, Kaplan’s project manager for the first two phases.
To fix the problem, remedial measures included pouring cast-in-place pavement over the existing walls to gradually adjust the slope. An additional grading problem at the northeast corner thanks to an air conditioning tunnel required selectively removing portions of the cast-in-place concrete and incorporating other pieces into the structural design to reduce the cost of the base span and speed up delivery. Instead of pouring entirely new foundations, Kaplan strategically cut, modified and reinforced the existing foundations to support the loads of the new building.
Lepore says the modifications created a ripple effect through the project, and Kaplan stepped up the design when “the design team didn’t show up” when making the changes.
By having on-site experience, Lepore says they can carry lessons learned into the next phases, especially when it comes to modifying prefab building structures and on-site work logistics, including ensuring the center remains fully operational throughout the project.
During the construction of the new tennis court, the project team also carried out site drainage work.
Photo courtesy of Kaplan Construction
“We heard from so many members who said they didn’t know we were there, there was nothing tracked through the building [boots were fully cleaned before entering non-construction zones] and there was no construction debris,” says Peck. “Things were being built around them and they couldn’t see it being done.”
The club agrees. “Kaplan Construction’s expertise in navigating these complex projects within an active and busy facility was essential,” says Wiley, “as it allowed us to continue to serve our members throughout the process.”
Kaplan expects to finish the final phases by January 2027, but aims to have some spaces finished sooner, including the indoor bathrooms. “We have to keep people playing tennis,” Maloney says, “while our whole operation continues.”
