This past week, the team at Rountree Losee LLP was pleased to facilitate the acquisition of the historic former home of Dr. Hubert Eaton, Sr. by the Lenny Simpson Tennis and Education Fund (the “Fund,” also known as “One Love Tennis”).

This project has been on the drawing board since the Fund’s 2013 founding of One Love Tennis as a program for youth in the Wilmington area as a non-profit to teach tennis and provide tutoring and mentoring for at-risk youth.

The team at Rountree Losee worked closely with Lenny Simpson - who is an inductee of the N.C. Tennis Hall of Fame, Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame and Black Tennis Hall of Fame - to overcome various zoning, title and other development challenges.

With the acquisition of Dr. Eaton’s former home, located at 1406 Orange St., One Love will begin the process of restoring the property, which, upon completion, will be a permanent facility to serve as a corporate office for the organization, a home for its programs - including academic enrichment and tennis Junior Development Program - as well as a community space for other positive recreational activity.

In so doing, One Love will also memorialize the significant black tennis history in Wilmington, including the role of Fr. Huber Eaton, Sr. in mentoring at-risk youth, among them International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Famer Althea Gibson.

The attorneys and staff at Rountree Losee congratulate One Love Tennis on this momentous accomplishment and look forward to supporting the continued efforts of One Love in the area. 

The firm invites readers facing complex development challenges to contact us to help achieve your goals.

Rountree Losee LLP has provided well-respected, high-quality legal services in Southeastern North Carolina for generations. Grounded in this history and tradition, and guided by our firm values, Rountree Losee’s diverse and growing team of lawyer-leaders continues to provide exceptional legal services as well as exemplary service to the community in which we live and work. If you have any questions or comments about this article or other legal services, please contact us at (910) 763-3404 or www.rountreelosee.com/contact-us.