Photos: StudentandAthlete

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood players battle Troy on Cranbrook’s new tennis complex on Thursday.

   Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood dedicated a breathtaking new tennis complex with a special ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 30. It rivals the best college tennis complexes across the country. No other high school in Michigan has a comparable tennis facility.

   Before the ceremony, spectators got to watch the Cranbrook boys varsity tennis team complete against Troy.

   The new facility is off Orchard Ridge Road in Bloomfield Hills between the Wallace Ice Arena and the outdoor grass fields for soccer, baseball, and field hockey on the Cranbrook grounds.

   Four practice tennis courts and an unused two-story building were removed to make room for the new tennis complex.

   The new complex was designed by GMB Architecture + Engineering of Royal Oak and built by Frank Rewold & Sons of Rochester.

   The facility consists of eight high-end, post-tensioned concrete courts stitched together with an entrance plaza and central elevated spectator viewing platform to create not only an efficient flow of players, coaches, and spectators, but also a unique, high-end feel for all.

   The lower four courts also have a concrete seating area designed in the same fashion as the concrete seats at the iconic Thompson Oval football field at Cranbrook.

   Elevated and comfortable stadium seating provides unobstructed views of each court.

   Under the viewing platform is a fenced runway that allows coaches to have easy access to speak to any player on all eight courts.

   Conversations about creating the new complex began almost three years ago with the Cranbrook alumni boosters and athletic department leading the charge. Design work started in July 2018 and construction started in October 2019 after receiving approval by the Bloomfield Hills Planning Commission.

   The facility was paid for by generous donations from alumni, supporters of Cranbrook athletics, and the Cranbrook Schools Booster Club.

   According to GMB representatives, “Cranbrook’s vision for the new complex was to establish a premier high school tennis facility that fostered a positive coaching experience and enabled spectators to engage with the sport.”

   GMB was selected after Cranbrook representatives saw the Hope College tennis facility that the company designed. Cranbrook wanted the same type of high-end professional courts on their campus to enable student

 athletes to have a facility to match their level of competition.

 

   The Cranbrook boys varsity tennis team is the defending Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 champion and has won five of the past six Division 3 championships and 23 state championships in their long and storied history. The No. 2-ranked Cranes look to defend their state championship on Oct. 15-16 in Midland.

   The girls varsity team plays during the spring season and was runner-up in the MHSAA Division 3 championship last season and won consecutive state titles from 2011 to 2015. The Cranes have won 16 state championships in their history.

   “There is no question that this new tennis facility is a beautiful addition to the Cranbrook Schools Campus and will be another source of great Cranbrook pride,” said athletic director Steve Graf. “The setting and design are fitting for our storied Cranbrook upper and middle school tennis programs and it will be a wonderful venue for spectators to watch students compete. We can’t thank the donors, booster club and the Cranbrook development office enough for all they have done to support this project and see it to the finish line!”

   The complex was completed in time for the start of the 2021 boys tennis season. Cranbrook will host the Catholic High School League Bishop Division championship on Saturday and there are plans to host other tournaments and MHSAA championships.

   Numerous large trees, scrubs and other plants were added around facility to provide screening from the road and to make the complex blend with the existing athletic fields and buildings.

   According to GMB, “it was of critical importance to Cranbrook’s identity and culture to reinforce harmony between architecture and the existing mature landscape. The landscape of the campus is no afterthought, and instead is the primary unifying feature for the programs and spaces throughout. As the new complex clarifies circulation for athletes and spectators, in a similar way, it also does so for the larger campus by extending the network of paths for pedestrians and cyclists, bolstering the overall fabric of the campus.”

   Cranbrook’s existing beautiful eight-court tennis facility will remain and will be renovated to provide additional courts for practice and large tournaments.

   Cranbrook Schools is located on 319 acres of educational and recreational features in Bloomfield Hills. It was founded in 1904 and is designated a National Historic Landmark.

   Cranbrook Schools is one of the top private college preparatory schools in Michigan and the country, and its educational, arts, and athletics programs and facilities are reflective of its identity and reputation.

Spectators watch from an elevated platform as Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood players battle Troy on Cranbrook’s new tennis complex on Thursday.

Under the viewing platform at Cranbrook's new tennis complex is a fenced runway that allows coaches to have easy access to speak to any player on all eight courts.

 

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood players battle Troy on Cranbrook’s new tennis complex on Thursday.

Spectators watch from an elevated platform as Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood players battle Troy on Cranbrook’s new tennis complex on Thursday.

Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Challeging and Comprehensive College Preparation.