The Atkinson-Stern tennis center is one of the oldest tennis venues in the United States. Opened in 1897, it was originally a private club operated by the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club. In 1973 the city of New Orleans acquired and renamed the facility as the Stern Tennis Center in honor of Edgar Stern, a philanthropist who contributed financially to the Center. Stern Tennis Center was expanded later in recognition of Nehemiah Atkinson, manager and talented player of the facility. For two decades, Nehemiah Atkinson coached at the tennis center and inspired many New Orleanians including African-American adults and children to play tennis.
