Hinchliffe Stadium Update

The Paterson (NJ) City Council recently approved the use of $1.1 million in federal housing funds for the 75-unit senior citizen building being done in conjunction with the reconstruction of Hinchliffe Stadium.  The council also gave final approval to a 30-year tax break for the Hinchliffe development. The $76.7 million project also would include a 315-space parking garage as well as a restaurant with museum exhibit space.  Read more here and here.  Thanks to John Cerone for links.

Developer Revises Financing Plan for Hinchliffe Stadium Restoration

The developer looking to rebuild Hinchliffe Stadium has revised the financing plan because a proposed state historic preservation tax credit program originally projected to generate $2.8 million for the project has not yet been enacted.  Read more and view photos here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Hinchliffe Spotlight: Stadium on Verge of Revival

Paterson’s (NJ) Hinchliffe Stadium should be one of baseball’s crown jewels, but for decades it has lain vacant and crumbling, a victim of vandalism and neglect due to a lack of funds. One of the few surviving stadiums in the country associated with Negro League baseball, Hinchliffe was one strike away from falling into permanent disrepair.  Read more and view photos here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Can a Revived Hinchliffe Stadium Help Revive Paterson (NJ)?

There used to be a ballpark here, at the corner of Maple and Liberty.  Baseball royalty once rounded the bases, and city residents once packed the stands.  Now defaced with graffiti, Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ) looks like a blighted lot about to be razed.  Weeds and trees have uprooted the bleachers, and asphalt and trash cover the infield.  Read more here.

Restoration of Historic Hinchliffe Stadium Takes Next Step

The mayor’s plan for rebuilding historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ) cleared another hurdle this past week when the City Council approved an 80-page agreement with the developers for the $76.7 million project. Read more and view photos here.

Hinchliffe Stadium Restoration Project Takes Next Step

Paterson (NJ) Mayor Andre Sayegh secured the City Council’s precursory support this week for a lease agreement for the restoration of the historic Hinchliffe Stadium.  A public hearing and final vote on the ordinance is scheduled for Sept. 24, 2019.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Renovation of Historic Hinchliffe Stadium Back on Track?

Developers have revised their plans to rebuild historic Hinchliffe Stadium, changes that seem to put the stalled $76 million project on track to get approval from the Paterson (NJ) City Council.  Read more and watch video here.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Mayor Takes Hinchliffe Stadium Plan Directly to Residents

Paterson (NJ) Mayor Andre Sayegh took his controversial Hinchliffe Stadium renovation and low-income housing project plan directly to residents in a recent town hall meeting. Sayegh’s push follows the City Council’s rejection of a lease agreement that would further the $70 million proposal.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Mayor Proposes Plan to Save Historic Hinchliffe Stadium

Paterson (NJ) Mayor Andre Sayegh is proposing an $18.7 million reconstruction of Hinchliffe Stadium, the national landmark that has been vacant so long trees are growing out of its crumbling, concrete grandstands.  Read more here.  Read opinion piece here.  Read another opinion piece and view photo gallery here.

Historic Hinchliffe Getting Facade Facelift

Historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ) is getting a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service for the renovation of the Great Depression-era ballpark’s exterior façade, officials announced this week.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Paterson Breaks Ground on Restoration of Historic Hinchliffe Stadium

The long-awaited restoration of Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ) moved a step closer on Tuesday morning with the ground breaking of the first major phase of construction at the historic ballfield in the corner of Maple and Liberty Streets.  Read more here.

Paterson Council Rejects Financing to Restore Historic Hinchliffe Stadium

The Paterson (NJ) City Council refused on Tuesday night to provide the financing for a $1.5 million Hinchliffe Stadium renovation contract that it had approved a week earlier.  Read more here and here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the links.

Proposed Visitors’ Center Would Showcase Hinchliffe Stadium, Negro Leagues

A $19.7 million visitors’ center has been proposed for Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in Paterson (NJ). The Alexander Hamilton Center, as it is being called, would feature state-of-the art interactive exhibits on the various aspects of the Great Falls history, including showcasing Hinchliffe Stadium (located nearby on the national park campus) and legendary Negro League baseball.  Read more here and here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the heads up.

Alexander Hamilton Center rendering, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Inc.

American Express Donation Includes Funds for Hinchliffe Preservation

PRESS RELEASE – American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced $1 million in funding to support the restoration and preservation of five National Treasure sites, in or adjacent to National Parks. National Treasures are endangered buildings, neighborhoods, communities and landscapes that reveal the vibrancy of the American story.

Mayor Seeks $1 Million for Hinchliffe Renovation Design

Paterson (NJ) Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres wants to spend $1 million to hire a New York architectural firm to design the first two construction phases for the renovation of historic Hinchliffe Stadium.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for heads up.

Hinchliffe Stadium Inches Closer to National Park Inclusion (UPDATED)

The U.S. Senate is currently considering the National Defense Authorization Act that includes a provision that adds Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ) to the Great Falls National Historical Park.  Sponsor of the provision Sen. Bob Menendez just completed his remarks on the Senate floor in support of the historic Negro Leagues ballpark.  The defense bill passed the U.S. House last week.  The Senate could pass the measure as early as Friday.  Read background here.  UPDATE:  Defense bill passed the Senate tonight with Hinchliffe provision 89-11.  The president is expected to sign it into law.

U.S. Sen. Menendez of New Jersey speaks on the floor of the Senate in support of Hinchliffe Stadium provision in the defense bill.

TUNE IN: Headed to @DSenFloor to talk abt why Hinchliffe Stadium is a #NJ treasure. Stream: http://t.co/Nw9OPujpza pic.twitter.com/htzirlzEO2

— Sen. Robert Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) December 12, 2014

Plan to Include Historic Hinchliffe Stadium in National Park Advances

An effort to include historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ) within the boundaries of Great Falls National Park gained momentum this week, with the U.S. House unanimously passing Rep. Bill Pascrell’s legislation Tuesday and a U.S. Senate committee holding a hearing on Wednesday.  Read more here.  View aerial of ballpark and national park.  Visit Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the news.

Celebrating Historic Hinchliffe Stadium

In the sunshine of a blustery spring morning in Paterson (NJ), Hinchliffe Stadium came back to life on Wednesday as several hundred people flocked to the historic ballpark to pay homage to its legacy and paint its walls.  Read more and watch video here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

A Long Time Coming: Contract Awarded for Hinchliffe Rehab

The Paterson (NJ) City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to award a $338,000 architectural and engineering contract for the stabilization and partial rehabilitation of historic Hinchliffe Stadium.  The design work will take several months, and officials are hoping the actual work can begin in the spring.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Legislation Introduced in Congress to Add Hinchliffe Stadium to National Park

U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Jeffrey Chiesa (R-NJ) and U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) on Wednesday introduced the Hinchliffe Stadium Heritage Act, legislation that would make Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium a part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.  Read more here.

Historic Hinchcliffe Granted Landmark Status

Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ), reportedly one of only four remaining Negro League ballparks in America, has been granted National Historic Landmark by the Department of Interior.  This makes the old ballpark eligible for federal grant money to help restore it, which is estimated to cost between $10 and $15 million.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Grant Award Recommended for Hinchliffe Stadium

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration has recommended that historic (and deteriorating) Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson receive a $500,000 Historic Preservation Grant award.  The recommendation will now go before the Garden State Trust next week and then to the state Legislature for approval.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Saving Hinchliffe Stadium

ESPN Page 2 columnist Paul Lukas recently visited Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson (NJ), the deteriorating former 10,000-seat home of the Negro Leagues’ New York Black Yankess and New York Cubans.  Efforts have been underway for some time by a local preservation group to save the park, and there is hope.  Citizens approved a

Union County College to Host Negro Leagues Baseball Program

Union County College in Cranford, NJ, will play host to a Black History Month program called “Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Negro Leagues Baseball at Yankee Stadium 1930-1948.”  One of the guest speakers will be Robert Scott, former pitcher and first baseman for the New York Black Yankees.  The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 4, from 6:30-9:15 p.m. at the Roy Smith Auditorium.  Read more here.