Lorenzi Park Is Getting a $4.9 Million Tennis Center, With Groundbreaking Oct. 20

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

On Thursday, Oct. 15, the city of Las Vegas sent out a news release titled "New Tennis Amenities Coming To Lorenzi Park." It set a groundbreaking ceremony for Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. at Lorenzi Park, 3333 W. Washington Ave. Ward 5 Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong will be there with neighbors from the community to kick things off.

FOX5 Las Vegas picked up the story the next day, on Oct. 16, under the headline "Las Vegas breaks ground on $4.9 million tennis upgrade at Lorenzi Park." Reporter Miles Friess wrote that the project brings new amenities to neighborhoods in Ward 5.

The total budget is $4.9 million. Here is what that buys:

Three new tennis courts. That takes the park from 10 courts to 13.
Refinished courts. All 10 existing courts get a new surface.
A new tennis clubhouse. It will have a check-in area, a multipurpose room, restrooms and storage.
A new name. The whole complex becomes the Marty Hennessey Tennis Center at Lorenzi Park.

The city named the team doing the work. Starke Contractors is the builder. TSK Architects is the design consultant. The city of Las Vegas Public Works Department will manage the project from start to finish.

The funding is the part a lot of people miss. This project is paid for through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. That federal law allows the sale of federal land inside a set boundary in the Las Vegas Valley. The money from those sales has to go back into projects that help local communities and public lands. Parks, trails and rec facilities across the valley have been built that way.

That funding model is worth a closer look, because it shapes how projects like this get built. Instead of the city paying for new courts out of the same budget that covers police, fire and road repairs, the money comes from federal land in the valley that was sold off for development. In plain terms, growth on the edges of the valley helps pay for upgrades to parks closer in. Lorenzi Park is one more example of that money landing in an older part of town.

What the city did not share: a finish date. Neither the city release nor the FOX5 story gives a timeline for when the new courts or clubhouse will open. The release also does not explain who Marty Hennessey is or why the center carries that name. We will update this when the city shares more.

The existing public tennis courts at Lorenzi Park in central Las Vegas, which will be refinished in the upgrade

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Public tennis courts in Las Vegas fill up fast, especially in fall and spring when the weather is good. Anyone who has shown up at a city park with a racket and a can of balls knows the feeling of waiting on the fence for a court to open. Three more courts at one of the city's main tennis spots helps with that.

The clubhouse matters too. Right now, a busy tennis park without a proper building means limited restrooms, no real place to check in for lessons and nowhere to store gear for programs. A multipurpose room gives coaches and groups a place to meet, talk strategy or hold sessions when it is too hot or too windy to stay on the court. Anyone who has played through a Vegas wind day knows how often that happens.

Lorenzi Park is also home base for youth programs. The Inspiring Children Foundation, a USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning chapter, is based at the park. So is the NO QUIT Tennis Academy, which News 3 has described as one of the most successful development programs in the region. More courts and a real clubhouse give those kids more room to grow.

For families who live nearby, this is the kind of upgrade you feel in daily life. It is a free public park in the middle of the city. You do not need a country club membership or a master-planned community HOA to get good courts. That is especially important in central Las Vegas, where many neighborhoods were built long before the big master-planned communities with their own sports parks.

Think about who uses a park like this on a normal week. Retirees who play doubles early in the morning before the heat. High school players getting in extra practice. Adults who picked up the game later in life and take group lessons after work. Parents sitting on a bench while their kids run drills. Every one of those groups benefits when there are more courts, better surfaces and a building with real restrooms right next to the action.

And it does not touch your property tax bill. Because the money comes from federal land sales through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, the city is not asking local residents to pay for this one directly.

Background and History

Lorenzi Park has one of the best backstories of any park in Las Vegas. A French immigrant named David Lorenzi arrived in the valley in 1911, drawn by talk of artesian wells. In 1912 he bought 80 acres on what was then the edge of town. He first dreamed of a desert vineyard. That idea faded, but the water from his well fed the lakes that still define the park today.

In 1926 it opened as Lorenzi's Lake Park, with a pool, a dance pavilion, two lakes with islands and orchards. Over the years it hosted rowboats, fireworks, prize fights, horse races, dance contests and outdoor movies on a band shell. In 1940 the property was sold and became Twin Lakes Lodge, a resort with a 48-room hotel. In the 1950s it hosted scientists and their families who worked at the Nevada Test Site.

The city of Las Vegas bought the property in 1965 for $750,000 and turned it into a city park. Fun fact: back in 1936, Lorenzi had offered it to the city for $70,000, and the city said no. In 2013 the park reopened after a $30 million upgrade that rebuilt the lake in its twin lake layout and restored the island band shell, while keeping the old resort feel.

The lake and grounds at historic Lorenzi Park on West Washington Avenue in Las Vegas

Tennis became a big part of the park's modern story. In September 2023, the U.S. Tennis Association named Lorenzi Park an outstanding facility. It was one of 29 winners nationwide, recognized in the small tennis center category, and the award was handed out at a reception at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York during the U.S. Open. This new project builds on that.

What Happens Next

The first step is the groundbreaking on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. at 3333 W. Washington Ave. Councilwoman Summers-Armstrong will lead it, and the city invited the local community to attend. After that, Starke Contractors starts work, with Public Works managing the job.

The big open question is timing. The city has not released a completion date for the new courts or the clubhouse. It also has not said whether some courts will stay open while the others are being refinished, or whether programs will need to move during construction. If you play at Lorenzi often, expect some disruption, and keep an eye on the city's parks pages and social channels for court closure notices.

The other thing to watch is the name. Once the work wraps up, you will start seeing "Marty Hennessey Tennis Center at Lorenzi Park" on signs, maps and lesson schedules. If you search for tennis programs at Lorenzi down the road, that is the name to look for. We expect the city to share more about Hennessey at the groundbreaking or when the center opens.

For the youth programs that call Lorenzi home, the next few months will be about planning around the work. The Inspiring Children Foundation and the NO QUIT Tennis Academy both depend on court time at the park. If you have a child enrolled in either one, your coach will likely be the first to know how sessions will shift once crews are on site. It is smart to ask now so you are not caught off guard by a closed court on a lesson day.

Longer term, the finished center should make Lorenzi an even stronger draw. With 13 courts, a clubhouse and a USTA award already on its record, it would be well set up to host clinics, community events and group play. The city has not announced any specific events or programs tied to the new center yet, so that is one more thing to watch for once construction is done.

Ryan's Take

I love this kind of story because it is a reminder that central Las Vegas keeps getting real investment. A lot of buyers I talk with assume the only way to get great parks and amenities is to buy in a newer master-planned community. That is not true. Lorenzi Park is a 100-year-old piece of Las Vegas history that got a $30 million makeover in 2013, and now it is getting a $4.9 million tennis center on top of that.

There is a pattern here along Washington Avenue. Just east, Lennar broke ground on The Foundry at the old Cashman Center site near Washington and Las Vegas Boulevard, with homes starting in the $300,000s. Projects like that and this tennis center show the city putting money into the core of the valley. I am not going to tell you a tennis court changes home values on its own. But parks, trails and rec spaces are a big part of how people pick a neighborhood, and buyers notice when a city keeps showing up for an area. If you are weighing an older central neighborhood against something new on the edge of the valley, close-in amenities like Lorenzi deserve a spot on your list.

Overhead view of a tennis player on a hard court, like the 13 public courts coming to the Marty Hennessey Tennis Center at Lorenzi Park

What You Can Do

Go to the groundbreaking. It is Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. at Lorenzi Park, 3333 W. Washington Ave., near Washington Avenue and Rancho Drive. The city invited the local community. It is a good chance to meet your Ward 5 councilwoman and hear about the project firsthand.

Ask about court closures. If you play at Lorenzi regularly or your kids are in a program there, ask the city or your program coach how construction will affect court time. Since no timeline has been released yet, it is worth asking early.

Get your kids involved. The Inspiring Children Foundation and the NO QUIT Tennis Academy both run out of Lorenzi Park. If your child has been curious about tennis, reach out to those programs to see what they offer.

Enjoy the rest of the park. You do not have to play tennis to enjoy Lorenzi. The lake, the walking paths and the restored band shell make it one of the nicest places in the central valley for a fall morning walk. Pair it with a visit to the groundbreaking and make a morning of it.

Keep checking for updates. The city has not shared a finish date yet. We will keep watching for news on when the Marty Hennessey Tennis Center opens.

Quick Answers About the Lorenzi Park Tennis Project

Where exactly is Lorenzi Park? The city lists the address as 3333 W. Washington Ave. in Las Vegas. It sits near Washington Avenue and Rancho Drive, about two miles west of the Fremont Street area downtown. News 3 describes the tennis area as being on Washington Avenue between Rancho Drive and Valley View Boulevard.

When is the groundbreaking? Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at 9 a.m. at the park. Ward 5 Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong is scheduled to attend with neighbors.

How much does it cost? The total budget is $4.9 million, according to the city of Las Vegas.

Who is paying for it? The project is funded through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. That law lets federal land inside a set boundary in the valley be sold, and it requires the money to fund projects that benefit local communities and public lands.

How many courts will there be? Thirteen. The park keeps its 10 existing courts, which get refinished, and adds three new ones.

What will the clubhouse have? A check-in area, a multipurpose room, restrooms and storage.

What will it be called? The Marty Hennessey Tennis Center at Lorenzi Park. The city release did not say who Hennessey is.

When will it open? No completion date has been released by the city or reported by FOX5.

Who is building it? Starke Contractors is the builder, TSK Architects handled the design, and the city's Public Works Department is managing the project.

Tennis balls scattered on a hard court near the net, ready for a lesson at a public park

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com