MASON, Ohio - The Western & Southern Open plans to build a $25 million, five-story building with innovative indoor box seats and brand-new amenities for fans.
The new South Building will be constructed between the Center and Grandstand Courts, with different levels offering views of one or both marquee match courts.
The main feature is the split-level second floor hosting a restaurant and bar, which opens to cascading indoor, air-conditioned box seats, presumed to be the first in professional tennis, the tournament said in a Thursday release. The extra-wide, 252 stadium seats sit behind glass and have access to the adjoining restaurant and bar.
The third floor holds 396 new outdoor box seats and an interior space with concessions, a bar, gathering areas and restrooms.
The fourth floor includes six all-inclusive suites with 126 total seats and a shared space for food and refreshments.
The fifth floor offers a state-of-the-art broadcast and production center.
SEE detailed information and renderings of each floor at ExperienceSouthBuilding.com.
The new building will more than double the interior space for fans and increase Center Court seating from 11,467 to 11,750.
The project was designed by the architecture firm Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf (BDMD), based in Indianapolis.
"The building is chock-full of amenities,” BDMD architect Greg Jacoby in a release. “Every square foot was designed with the intention of bringing the things that fans need -- restrooms, bars, concessions and air conditioning -- to these new areas. We’re especially excited about the climate-controlled box seats, truly an innovation in the sport of professional tennis."
Cincinnati-based Shumacher Dugan will manage construction.
Sales for all areas of the South Building will begin at the tournament in a special sales center located in the retail plaza.
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