CORONA — Queens Museum officials say they will have to close their doors until the end of the US Open because security for the tennis tournament has made access more difficult than ever, DNAinfo New York has learned.
The museum, which is a few feet from the new Grandstand Stadium, will close Sept. 3 and won't re-open to the public on Sept. 14.
"As many of you may know, the museum is located only a few hundred feet from the US Open," officials wrote in an email to its mailing list.
"Due to the heightened security for the tennis tournament, access to the museum is affected."
The museum has co-existed with the event since it moved from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in 1978, officials said.
But with the opening of the new Grandstand Stadium, which was part of the $550 million renovations for the US Tennis Association, there's more security closer to the Queens Museum.
Since the US Open started, half a dozen NYPD cars have been parked in front of the museum throughout the day, sources said. That's in addition to museum lots used as NYPD staging areas for vans, trucks and command units.
This is the first time the museum has had to close during the major event.
The NYPD said that it did not force the museum to close, but did not answer questions about increased security for this year's US Open.
A spokesperson for Citywide Event Coordination and Management said "the city will continue working closely with our neighbors, like the Queens Museum, to ensure security and accessibility during large-scale events.”
Emails to the USTA seeking comment were not immediately returned.
