Portland Athletic Club Could Be Sold and Turned Into Pickleball Courts

The Portland Athletic Club, Oregon’s first and only Black-owned tennis club, is set to close as early as March 1 unless a buyer steps forward at the last minute. If not, the club is poised to go pickleball.

RECS, an indoor pickleball facility in Clackamas, has offered $4.95 million for the property on 2 acres at 5803 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, according to documents filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

A group of Portland Athletic Club members is rallying around the club in hopes of preserving it as a tennis facility.

“If PAC is lost, we will lose a critical piece of Portland’s Black history and a thriving space that has empowered generations of players, offering affordable access to tennis, mentorship programs for youth, and a welcoming space for seniors to stay active,” says Nikki Blackburn, the club’s general manager.

PAC was founded by Blackburn’s father, Marion “Paps” Blackburn, who was born in Jim Crow-era Alabama. He was the first Black member of the Irvington Club, after initially being denied. He went on to open PAC in the 1970s as a place where tennis is affordable and accessible. The club now boasts the largest junior tennis program in Portland, new courts, a renovated pool, and 22 staff members.

Community members and staff have started a petition, a media campaign, and a call for prospective buyers.

RECS founder and CEO Kevin Richards says his was an unsolicited offer and his company has no sway over whether or not PAC stays open.

“RECS joins the community in honoring Marion Blackburn’s groundbreaking legacy and is ultimately supportive of his best interest,” Richards wrote in an email. “RECS will remain attentive to the Court proceedings and respectful of the process.”

An appraisal found that the Portland Athletic Club itself has “no marketable value” due to deferred maintenance that puts the expected lifespan of the building at five to 10 years. The appraisal and proposed sale documents were filed as part of a conservatorship for Paps Blackburn, who has dementia.

“There is general disappointment that the buyer will be putting in pickleball,” the conservatorship document says. “True tennis players will never be happy about this anymore than true downhill skiers will ever be happy about snowboarding. [Blackburn] knew that this was a possibility and chuckled ruefully about it, but he also knew it was a fun game for a lot of people and there is a crying need for pickleball courts.”