A Brief History of Tennis at Locust Valley Library

 How did a library come to have tennis courts?

The Locust Valley Library was founded in 1909. Its first home was a two-room cottage at One Bayville Road.

The present building was built in 1914 by the Matinecock Neighborhood Association (MNA) and was called the Matinecock Neighborhood House.

A tennis court was first mentioned in the 1914 MNA yearbook.

A second court was built in 1926.

The library took over the entire building and grounds in 1937.

Two more courts were built in 1938, funded by the WPA Youth Works Program and a private donation from the MNA.

In 1948 a new green covering (Har-Tru clay), which “generally improves play,” was installed.

Tennis at Locust Valley Library has long enjoyed the support of the community, particularly the Locust Valley Tennis Association (LVTA), which worked hard for many years to bring the tennis program along.

In 2015 the courts were completely rebuilt with new brick curbs and a new channel drain, funded by a combination of donations from the LVTA , grants from the USTA and library funds.