Rockefeller Tennis Courts

The Rockefeller Tennis Courts sit in between MLK Jr. Blvd and East 105th, once known as the MLK Tennis Courts, but were renamed and dedicated as the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts in 2012.

The courts have been used by many groups, most notably the Forest City Tennis Club, the oldest African-American tennis club in the country. The Forest City Tennis Club began in 1912, after Black tennis players were denied access to white owned tennis-clubs.With that exclusion, those tennis players built their own spaces of practice and joy. They began playing at the Rockefeller Tennis courts in 1952. (Image of Forest City Tennis Club logo.) They hold a Tri-City Tournament each year in the early fall. You can find more information on the club and the tournament on their website.

One of the most notable players of The Forest City Tennis Club, and tennis champion in her own right is Jean Murrell Capers. Judge Capers was the first African-American woman elected to Cleveland City Council which she would serve on for 10 years. Capers was also the first African-American woman to win the Greater Cleveland Tennis Championship in 1938 ( A few images of Capers) . Judge Capers professional career came with ups and downs but that didn’t lessen her impact on the Cleveland community. In 2012, the MLK Tennis Courts would dedicated in her honor, for being the oldest living Forest City Tennis Club member and notable judge at the age of 99. Jean Murrell Capers would live until 104 and die peacefully in her sleep at Judson Manor.