Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center

Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center

Dorchester, MA

Founded in 1961, Sportsmen’s is the first indoor nonprofit tennis club built in the United States by and for the African American community. For over 60 years, Sportsmen’s has leveraged tennis to open doors of opportunity for youth in some of Boston’s most underserved communities. In 2023, Kaplan was hired to provide preconstruction and construction management services for two phases of the nonprofit club’s capital improvements plan.

Phase 1 involved the construction of a new 24,000 SF prefabricated building to house four additional tennis courts. The project also included installing new frost wall foundations, site drainage, and pole lighting for three adjacent outdoor courts. The new lighting enables Sportsmen’s to extend their outdoor play hours, providing broader access for community members. Rather than pouring all-new foundations, Kaplan strategically cut, modified, and reinforced the existing foundation to support the new building loads. New fire water and domestic water services were also provided, including fire protection coverage in the new building. A connector building was constructed to link the new structure to the existing facility.

Phase 2A focused on the 6,500 SF interior renovation of Sportsmen’s enrichment program area, including after-school classrooms and administrative offices. The existing bathrooms and locker rooms were reconfigured to increase storage and create accessible facilities, featuring new lighting, plumbing fixtures, floor and wall tile, and toilet partitions. The project was phased to ensure one floor of the enrichment space remained operational at all times. Sprinkler coverage was installed in the new areas, as well as in the existing tennis court buildings and restrooms. This work was carefully coordinated around a fully operational club and summer camp activities, presenting an additional challenge.

The newly expanded facility increases their indoor capacity by nearly 60%, enabling more free and subsidized play, expanded coaching opportunities, and a broader range of programs and tournaments.