Fire damages International Tennis Hall of Fame
Posted: Thursday June 04, 1998 04:39 PM
NEWPORT, Rhode Island (AP) -- A fire Thursday damaged Newport's International Tennis Hall of Fame, which houses historic memorabilia, and the grandstand area overlooking the grass courts.
The four-alarm fire broke out at 11:20 a.m. in an adjacent building and spread to the structure housing the Hall, on Bellevue Avenue, site of Newport's sprawling, historic mansions.
It was not immediately known how much damage the fire caused to the interior of the Hall and its artifacts.
The blaze, which burned for about 90 minutes, raged through holes in the roof of the grandstand area behind the courts.
A large crowd gathered to watch, including some who began to play tennis on the grass courts once the fire was put out. There was no damage to the courts, the setting for one of the oldest competitions in the country.
A fire 10 years ago destroyed much of the building, after which it was restored to historic form.
The fire is believed to have started in a restaurant in the building containing the Hall of Fame, according to fire officials.
Andre Agassi and Jim Courier are scheduled to play a tune-up match in advance of Wimbledon on June 15 on the Hall of Fame's grass courts.
The Hall of Fame features the ATP Tour's only grass-court stop in North America.
It was unclear how the fire will affect those matches.
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