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Portland Tennis & Education (formerly St. Johns Racquet Center)
Portland Tennis & Education (formerly St. Johns Racquet Center)
Former names	St. Johns Racquet Center
Alternative names	PT&E, Portland Tennis & Education
General information
Type	indoor tennis and racquetball courts
Location	Portland, Oregon
Address	7519 N Burlington Ave
Country	United States
Coordinates	45°35′29″N 122°45′17″W / 45.59139°N 122.75472°W
Current tenants	Portland Tennis & Education (PT&E)
Groundbreaking	1976
Opened	1979
Cost	US$883,537 (US$3,709,154 adjusted for inflation)
Owner	City of Portland
Technical details
Structural system	prefabricated
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Richard L. Glassford and Associations
Structural engineer	Hess Building Company
Known for	Public tennis & pickleball. Nonprofit after school programming.
Other information
Number of rooms	3 tennis courts, 4 classrooms.
Website
	St Johns Racquet Center — PortlandOregon.gov

Portland Tennis & Education (formally St. Johns Racquet Center) offers a variety of classes, drills, mixers, & private lessons for tennis & pickleball players of all levels. As a public facility, we welcome everyone. Our court fees are a flat rate that include ball machine access & racquet rental at no extra cost! Racquet stringing service is also offered at affordable prices. Every dollar earned on our public courts is poured directly back into our nonprofit program that offers academic support, tennis & athletic enrichment, life skills, family resources & mental health support to K-12 students enrolled in our after school & summer programs. Every time you play tennis or pickleball, you 'play a point' for PT&E students & families

Since our founding in 1996, 100% of 12th grade PT&E program graduates have graduated from high school on-time and gone on to pursue the post-secondary path of their choosing!

History

The St. Johns Racquet Center was planned in 1976 but delayed until 1979 after problems with shipment from the manufacturer Hess Building Company. The 27,500 ft.² prefabricated building cost US$648,000 (US$2,720,352 adjusted for inflation) was designed by Richard L. Glassford and Associations and manufactured in the Midwest United States.^[1] The total construction cost reached US$883,537 (US$3,709,154 adjusted for inflation), most of which came from Economic Development Administration, when the building was erected.^[2] A failed plan in 1981 called for part of the racquet center be made a roller rink.^[3]

In October 1981, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) round robin tournament was held at the racquet center.^[4] The maximum capacity of the building in accordance to the fire code is 20 people.^[5] Threats to close the center came in 1983 from Portland Parks & Recreation commissioner Charles Jordan.^[6] Instead the hours of operations were cut.^[7]^[8]

A racquetball club known as the "Smashers" was organized at the center in 1984.^[9] The center held a table tennis tournament in 1987 and 1988.^[10]^[11] Plans to allow a private company operate the center were drawn up in 1994 but were quickly abandoned.^[12] A similar plan came up in 2006 and also failed.^[13] A plan to tear the center down to construct an apartment building was proposed in 2007 but was shelved and it was never recommended again.^[14] The center hosts several Portland Interscholastic League tennis matches.^[15] It is currently operated by Portland After-School Tennis & Education (PASTE).^[16]

References

^ Gozette, Janet (27 November 1979). "St. Johns sports court". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 52.
^ "St. Johns housing: a severe loss". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 29 May 1981. p. 40.
^ Sinovic, Steve (28 April 1981). "Community pushes roller rink idea". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 42.
^ "Briefly ...". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 16 October 1981. p. 67.
^ Sinovic, Steve (5 May 1981). "Fair Share, Ivance discusses issue". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 32.
^ Williams, Linda (26 June 1963). "Lack of use may close St. Johns indoor tennis center". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 32.
^ "Briefly ...". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 9 July 1983. p. 16.
^ Jeffries, Pat (19 July 1983). "Groups explore ideas to improve court use". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 65.
^ Falk, Susan (2 March 1984). "Group has 'smashing' time using racquet facility". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 83.
^ Hauser, Susan (30 March 1987). "OMSI offers championship ping pong". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 25.
^ Schneiderman, Floyd (28 February 1988). "Table tennis club keeps right on pinging". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. F12.
^ Pickett, Nelson (3 February 1994). "Private operator sought for city tennis center". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 4.
^ Beaven, Stephen (7 December 2006). "Will tennis center become elites clubs". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. 12.
^ "Ideas for St. Johns sites". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 8 February 2007. p. 10.
^ Ulmer, Jerry (22 May 2010). "Another year, another win from the title". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
^ "History". Portland After-School Tennis & Education. Retrieved 22 February 2014.