The HAROLD T. CLARK TENNIS COURTS, located on South Marginal Rd. opposite BURKE LAKEFRONT AIRPORT, were named in honor of Cleveland philanthropist and lawyer HAROLD TERRY CLARK, an avid promoter of American participation in Davis Cup competition. Land on South Marginal Road was approved by Cleveland for a new Harold T. Clark Stadium in the 1970s, and a 5,000-seat tennis facility was built at a cost of $380,000. Since their opening in July 1978, the courts have hosted numerous amateur and professional tennis competitions, including the Western Open, the U.S. National Amateur Hardcourt Tennis Championship, the Championship of the Americas, the National Public Parks Tennis Tournament, and the Urban League Annual Tennis Tournament.
An earlier Clark tennis stadium was constructed in 1964 (formal dedication 14 Sept. 1964) at Ambler Park near Fairhill Rd. in CLEVELAND HEIGHTS to host the championship round of the DAVIS CUP MATCHES, brought here through the funding efforts of Robert Malaga. Although the bleachers were scheduled to be dismantled and the playing court left as a permanent improvement to the park, the Cleveland-owned Clark stadium remained intact until 1972. Between 1966-72, the stadium was the biennial host site for the women's Wightman Cup tennis matches, and in 1973 the Davis Cup matches returned there for its final round. In 1972 the Clark Stadium spectator stands were sold to an Indianapolis group, who dismantled them after the 1973 matches.
Use of the South Marginal tennis courts was discontinued in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, the few championship tennis matches that Cleveland has hosted generally were staged at the Gund Arena.