The Battle Over the Bed-Stuy Tennis Courts

A daily mix of stories about cities, city life, and our always evolving neighborhoods and skylines. [Curbed]( THURSDAY, MAY 30 STREET FIGHTS [The Battle Over the Bed-Stuy Tennis Courts]( When a new tennis coach replaced the local teacher, many saw it as another sign of the neighborhood’s changes. Photo: NYC Water/Flickr Anyone who played tennis at Jackie Robinson knew Frances Ferdinand. A young Black mother with a quick smile, with the kind of energy that can hold the attention of easily distracted kids learning to hit the ball over the net, she offered free tennis classes every summer Friday at the Bed-Stuy courts. She would play music and crack jokes with the adults, let teens borrow racquets after school, and lead community cleanups at the surrounding park and playground. “Nobody cared about these courts,” says Ferdinand, who grew up playing tennis at Jackie Robinson and other courts in the borough. “We were mending them ourselves.” She held the contract to teach there for the past five years and kept pushing the city to resurface the courts, which had been busted up for decades. When that finally happened, as part of a 2023 [upgrade]( to the park’s storm drains, the fresh hardtop was painted a vibrant purple at her request. The new courts, now silky smooth, seemed to come alive after the renovation. Suddenly, it seemed all of Brooklyn wanted to play on Malcolm X Boulevard. And just as quickly, Ferdinand was out of a job. [Continue reading »]( Want more on city life, real estate, and design? [Subscribe now]( to save over 40% on unlimited access to Curbed and everything New York. [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( The Latest [The Private Helicopter to the Private Jet Is the New Flying Private The five-minute helicopter ride to Teterboro eliminates a 20-minute drive.]( By Andrew Zucker [The Roommates Who See Each Other 5 Minutes a Week How two friends on opposite schedules make it work (and get enough sleep).]( By Kayla Levy [The Dump Next Door How everyone in Woodstock started fighting over a ten-foot pile of backyard trash.]( By Clio Chang [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Read More From Curbed]( [Sign up to get The Listings Edit](, a weekly digest of the most worth-it apartments in New York. [GET THE NEWSLETTER]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved