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{{Short description|Stadium in New Jersey}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox venue
{{Infobox venue
| name = Hinchliffe Stadium
| name = Hinchliffe Stadium
| image = HinchliffeField.jpg
| image = Hinchliffe Stadium July 2023.jpg
| former names = Hinchliffe City Stadium
| former names = Hinchliffe City Stadium
| address = Maple and Liberty Streets
| address = Maple and Liberty Streets
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| coordinates = {{coord|40|55|6|N|74|10|52|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|40|55|6|N|74|10|52|W|display=inline,title}}
| owner = [[Paterson Board of Education]]
| owner = [[Paterson Board of Education]]
| capacity = 10,000<br />[[Baseball]]: 7,800
| capacity = 10,000 (1932–2023) <br />7,500 (2023–present)
| Acreage = {{convert|5.7|acre}}
| Acreage = {{convert|5.7|acre}}
| surface = Various
| built = 1931–1932
| built = 1931–1932
| renovated = 1963-1964, 1983, 2021-2022
| renovated = 1963–1964, 1983, 2021–2022
| closed = 1997
| closed = 1997
| reopened = 2023
| architect = [[Olmsted Brothers]]
| architect = [[Olmsted Brothers]]
| tenants = Paterson Giants (IFL) 1932-1933<br />Paterson Night Hawks (I) 1932-1933<br /> Silk City Bears (I) 1932<br />[[New York Black Yankees]] ([[Negro National League (1933–1948)|NNL II]]) 1933-1937, 1939-1945<br />[[New York Cubans]] ([[Negro National League (1933–1948)|NNL II]]) 1936<br />Paterson Panthers ([[American Association (American football)|AA]]) 1936-1941,1946-1950<br />[[New Jersey Jackals]] ([[Frontier League|FL]]) 2023-
| tenants = Paterson Giants (IFL) 1932–1933<br />Paterson Night Hawks (I) 1932–1933<br /> Silk City Bears (I) 1932<br />[[New York Black Yankees]] ([[Negro National League (1933–1948)|NNL II]])<br>1933–1935, 1937–1938<br />[[New York Cubans]] ([[Negro National League (1933–1948)|NNL II]]) 1935–1936<br />Paterson Panthers ([[American Association (American football)|AA]])<br>1936–1941, 1946–1950<br />[[New Jersey Jackals]] ([[Frontier League|FL]]) 2023–present
| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP
| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP
| name = Hinchliffe Stadium
| name = Hinchliffe Stadium
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| architecture = [[Art Deco]] with [[Mission Revival Style architecture|Mission style]] elements
| architecture = [[Art Deco]] with [[Mission Revival Style architecture|Mission style]] elements
| added = March 22, 2004
| added = March 22, 2004
(local significance error)<ref name="nrhp_weekly">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20040402.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings April 2, 2004|access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name="nlbpa">{{cite web|url=http://www.nlbpa.com/ballparks.html |title=Ballparks of the Negro Leagues and Barnstorming Black Baseball Teams |access-date=June 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610073533/http://www.nlbpa.com/ballparks.html |archive-date=June 10, 2009 }}</ref>
(local significance error)<ref name="nrhp_weekly">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20040402.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings April 2, 2004|access-date=June 7, 2009}}</ref><ref name="nlbpa">{{cite web|url=http://www.nlbpa.com/ballparks.html |title=Ballparks of the Negro Leagues and Barnstorming Black Baseball Teams |website=Negro League Baseball Players Association |access-date=June 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610073533/http://www.nlbpa.com/ballparks.html |archive-date=June 10, 2009 }}</ref>
| area =
| area =
| refnum = 04000223<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| refnum = 04000223<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
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| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b}}
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b}}
}}
}}
'''Hinchliffe Stadium''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɪ|n|tʃ|.|l|ɪ|f}}) is a 7,500-seat stadium located in [[Paterson, New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hinchliffe Stadium: a National Historic Landmark {{!}} Built in 1932 |url=https://www.hinchliffestadium.com/stadiumfacts |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=hinchliffestadium |language=en}}</ref> The stadium is located atop the [[Great Falls (Passaic River)|Great Falls]] of the [[Passaic River]], and is part of the surrounding National Historical Park. The stadium, built in 1932, was closed in 1996 after years of neglect but reopened in 2023.
'''Hinchliffe Stadium''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɪ|n|tʃ|.|l|ɪ|f}}) is a 10,000-seat stadium located in [[Paterson, New Jersey]]. The venue was completed in 1932 and sits on a dramatic escarpment above Paterson's National Historic Landmark [[Great Falls (Passaic River)|Great Falls]], and surrounded by the city's national landmark historic district, the first planned industrial settlement in the nation (chartered 1792). Hinchliffe stadium is known for holding auto racing as was its intended purpose. It is better remembered as a race track. It is one of only a handful of stadiums surviving nationally that once played host to significant [[Negro league baseball]] during America's [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow]] era. The stadium was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in March 2013 and a Paterson Historic Landmark<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/paterson/After_three-year_battle_Patersons__Hinchliffe_Stadium_gets_local_historic_status.html|title=Paterson Historic Landmark|website=NorthJersey.com|access-date=October 1, 2017}}</ref> in May 2013. In December 2014, [[113th United States Congress|Congress]] passed legislation to include the stadium in the [[Great Falls (Passaic River)|Great Falls National Landmark District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/12/congress_adds_hinchliffe_stadium_where_negro_league_stars_played_to_paterson_national_park.html|title=Congress adds N.J. stadium where Negro League stars played to Paterson national park|date=December 2014|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 1, 2017}}</ref>


The stadium's primary user is the [[Paterson Public Schools|Paterson Board of Education]], where it serves as a multipurpose facility for the city’s two high schools, [[Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Eastside High School]] and [[John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Kennedy High School]]. As of 2023, it also serves as the home stadium for the [[New Jersey Jackals]] of the independent [[Frontier League]]; the Jackals spent their previous 25 seasons playing at [[Yogi Berra Stadium]] in [[Little Falls, New Jersey]].
⚫
==Early days==

Hinchliffe Stadium was also used as the home of the [[New York Black Yankees]] of the Negro Leagues, and is one of four stadia still standing that hosted Negro League baseball games.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mallinconico|first=Joe|date=May 15, 2013|url=http://www.northjersey.com/paterson/After_three-year_battle_Patersons__Hinchliffe_Stadium_gets_local_historic_status.html|title=After three-year battle, Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium gets local historic status|work=Patterson Press|access-date=October 1, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305200027/http://www.northjersey.com/story-archives/after-three-year-battle-paterson-s-hinchliffe-stadium-gets-local-historic-status-1.586599|archive-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Salant|first=Jonathan D.|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/12/congress_adds_hinchliffe_stadium_where_negro_league_stars_played_to_paterson_national_park.html|title=Congress adds N.J. stadium where Negro League stars played to Paterson national park|date=December 12, 2014|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 1, 2017}}</ref>

⚫
==Early years==
The stadium, a large concrete oval with near-continuous seating laid out like a classical amphitheater, was inspired by a decade-long popular "stadium movement" in the 1920s, and was finally brought to fruition through the persistent efforts of its namesake Mayor John Hinchliffe, who made his fortune from [[Hinchliffe Brewing]] before it closed due to [[Prohibition]]. It opened on July 8, 1932, as a combination athletic facility and a "paying investment" for the working people of industrial Paterson, New Jersey, who were by then struggling through the early years of the [[Great Depression]]. Many workers laid off from the mills found work under a [[New Deal]]-financed program to provide enhancements to the stadium in 1932–34.
The stadium, a large concrete oval with near-continuous seating laid out like a classical amphitheater, was inspired by a decade-long popular "stadium movement" in the 1920s, and was finally brought to fruition through the persistent efforts of its namesake Mayor John Hinchliffe, who made his fortune from [[Hinchliffe Brewing]] before it closed due to [[Prohibition]]. It opened on July 8, 1932, as a combination athletic facility and a "paying investment" for the working people of industrial Paterson, New Jersey, who were by then struggling through the early years of the [[Great Depression]]. Many workers laid off from the mills found work under a [[New Deal]]-financed program to provide enhancements to the stadium in 1932–34.


[[File:Hinchliffe_Stadium_November_2020.jpg|left|thumb|375px|Aerial photo of Hinchliffe Stadium with Great Falls in foreground]]
[[File:Hinchliffe_Stadium_November_2020.jpg|left|thumb|375px|Aerial photo of Hinchliffe Stadium with Great Falls in foreground]]


The stadium immediately played host to Negro league and "barnstorming" games. In 1933, the stadium's first complete season hosting baseball, Hinchliffe hosted the Colored Championship of the Nation, the [[Negro leagues]] equivalent of the World Series. That following year, the [[New York Black Yankees]] made the stadium their home, a tenure that lasted until 1945 and was interrupted only once, when the team booked [[Triborough Stadium]] on [[Randall's Island]] in New York for the 1938 season. After World War II, the Black Yankees left Hinchliffe and took up residency at [[Silver Stadium|Red Wing Stadium]] in [[Rochester, New York]]. Hinchliffe was also home to the [[New York Cubans]] in 1935 and 1936.
The stadium immediately played host to the [[Negro National League (1933–1948)|Negro National League]] and "barnstorming" games. In 1933, the stadium's first complete season hosting baseball, Hinchliffe hosted the Colored Championship of the Nation, the [[Negro leagues]] equivalent of the World Series, between the [[New York Black Yankees]] and [[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]]. That same year, the [[New York Black Yankees]] made the stadium their home, a tenure that lasted until 1938 and was interrupted only once in the 1936 season when they split time between [[Freeport, New York|Freeport]] and [[Middletown, New York]]. After 1939, the Black Yankees left Hinchliffe and took up residency at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] in the [[Bronx, New York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/organization.php?franchID=NBY |title=New York Black Yankees franchise history |publisher=Seamheads.com |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/yankees/2024/08/who-are-the-black-yankees-legendary-negro-league-team-to-be-honored.html|title=Who are the Black Yankees? Legendary Negro League team to be honored|publisher=NJ Advance Media|date=August 27, 2024|accessdate=August 27, 2024}}</ref> Hinchliffe was also home to the [[New York Cubans]] in 1935 and 1936.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/organization.php?franchID=NYC|title=New York Cubans|website=seamheads.com|accessdate=August 28, 2024}}</ref>


The baseball played at Hinchliffe Stadium was some of the best and most competitive in the game, including prodigious athletes like [[Monte Irvin]], [[Josh Gibson]], [[Oscar Charleston]], and [[Cool Papa Bell|"Cool Papa" Bell]], among many others. Hall-of-Famer [[Larry Doby]], the legendary player who broke the American League color barrier in 1947, grew up in Paterson playing football and baseball in Hinchliffe Stadium for Paterson's [[Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Eastside High School]], and was scouted from Hinchliffe for the [[Newark Eagles]] in 1942.
The baseball played at Hinchliffe Stadium was some of the best and most competitive in the game, including prodigious athletes like [[Monte Irvin]], [[Josh Gibson]], [[Oscar Charleston]], and [[Cool Papa Bell|"Cool Papa" Bell]], among many others. Hall-of-Famer [[Larry Doby]], the legendary player who broke the American League color barrier in 1947, grew up in Paterson playing football and baseball in Hinchliffe Stadium for Paterson's [[Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Eastside High School]], and was scouted from Hinchliffe for the [[Newark Eagles]] in 1942.
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Throughout its history, though, Hinchliffe Stadium's primary use was as a venue for Paterson high school sports. Its two high schools, Eastside High School and Central High School, shared the stadium for various sports including football and baseball until the late 1960s. ([[John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Kennedy High School]], opened in 1965, also used Hinchliffe.) The schools' annual intercity [[Thanksgiving Day]] matchup was always held at Hinchliffe, and the venue would also play host to other schools' teams who took advantage of its large capacity; for instance, Paterson's neighbor [[Clifton, New Jersey|Clifton]] used the stadium for its football team during the 1940s until opening its own Stadium October 14, 1950.
Throughout its history, though, Hinchliffe Stadium's primary use was as a venue for Paterson high school sports. Its two high schools, Eastside High School and Central High School, shared the stadium for various sports including football and baseball until the late 1960s. ([[John F. Kennedy High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Kennedy High School]], opened in 1965, also used Hinchliffe.) The schools' annual intercity [[Thanksgiving Day]] matchup was always held at Hinchliffe, and the venue would also play host to other schools' teams who took advantage of its large capacity; for instance, Paterson's neighbor [[Clifton, New Jersey|Clifton]] used the stadium for its football team during the 1940s until opening its own Stadium October 14, 1950.


== Later years, closing and preservation efforts ==
==Later days==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}At first Hinchliffe, sometimes called "City Stadium", was municipally owned. In 1963, as the [[Paterson Public Schools|schools]] assumed full ownership, they undertook an array of repairs and upgrades that included repositioning the baseball diamond and adding fill to the area above and along the river (the "cliff" area, called "The Valley of the Rocks") in order to enlarge the football field and lengthen the track. In the following decades, the stadium did yeoman service for both school sports and major public events, including—from the 1970s on—concerts, antique car shows, and the fireworks displays for the Great Falls Festivals that have become a favorite feature of Paterson's [[Labor Day]] celebrations. [[Duke Ellington]] held one of his last major concerts here in 1971.
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}At first Hinchliffe, sometimes called "City Stadium", was municipally owned. In 1963, as the [[Paterson Public Schools|schools]] assumed full ownership, they undertook an array of repairs and upgrades that included repositioning the baseball diamond and adding fill to the area above and along the river (the "cliff" area, called "The Valley of the Rocks") in order to enlarge the football field and lengthen the track. In the following decades, the stadium did yeoman service for both school sports and major public events, including—from the 1970s on—concerts, antique car shows, and the fireworks displays for the Great Falls Festivals that have become a favorite feature of Paterson's [[Labor Day]] celebrations. [[Duke Ellington]] held one of his last major concerts here in 1971.


In 1983, the field received another upgrade under Mayor [[Frank X. Graves, Jr.]] These repairs made previously temporary stands permanent, added handicap access and storage facilities, and resulted in the installation of an [[Astroturf]] field surface. In 1988 Hinchliffe Stadium became the home of the [[New Jersey Eagles]] of the [[American Soccer League (1988-1989)|American Soccer League]], and the Eagles called the stadium home for two seasons before moving to another venue for their third and final season.
In 1983, the field received another upgrade under Mayor [[Frank X. Graves, Jr.]] These repairs made previously temporary stands permanent, added handicap access and storage facilities, and resulted in the installation of an [[Astroturf]] field surface. In 1988 Hinchliffe Stadium became the home of the [[New Jersey Eagles]] of the [[American Soccer League (1988-1989)|American Soccer League]], and the Eagles called the stadium home for two seasons before moving to another venue for their third and final season.


The general decline of the school system in Paterson over the next decade meant the diversion of maintenance resources away from the stadium. Although the facility continued to be used through the 1990s, Hincliffe Stadium fell into further and further disrepair due to underfunding and was eventually closed at the end of the 1996–97 school year and threatened with demolition. This forced Eastside High School and Kennedy High School to play their entire 1997 football seasons on the road and both schools returned to playing in Paterson for the 1998 season at Bauerle Field, located near Eastside High School.
The general decline of the school system in Paterson over the next decade meant the diversion of maintenance resources away from the stadium. Although the facility continued to be used through the 1990s, Hinchliffe Stadium fell further into disrepair due to underfunding and was eventually closed at the end of the 1996–97 school year and threatened with demolition. This forced Eastside High School and Kennedy High School to play their entire 1997 football seasons on the road and both schools returned to playing in Paterson for the 1998 season at Bauerle Field, located near Eastside High School.


The threat of demolition sparked a new movement to find ways and means of restoring and revitalizing this historic venue. A group of local citizens formed the non-profit Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium, announcing in September 2002, on the 70th anniversary of the stadium's dedication. A month later, Schools Superintendent Edwin Duroy announced a proposal to revitalize the facility into a stadium complex. The National Register of Historic Places designation by the State Office of Historic Preservation deemed Hinchliffe as only "locally significant", even though segregation and the Negro leagues were of national prominence. This cost the stadium much-needed funding from the [[Save America's Treasures]] grant funding program.
The threat of demolition sparked a new movement to find ways and means of restoring and revitalizing this historic venue. A group of local citizens formed the non-profit Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium, announcing in September 2002, on the 70th anniversary of the stadium's dedication. A month later, Schools Superintendent Edwin Duroy announced a proposal to revitalize the facility into a stadium complex. The National Register of Historic Places designation by the State Office of Historic Preservation deemed Hinchliffe as only "locally significant", even though segregation and the Negro leagues were of national prominence. This cost the stadium much-needed funding from the [[Save America's Treasures]] grant funding program.


==Current efforts==
==Stadium renovation==
[[Image:HinchliffeField.jpg|thumb|Hinchliffe Stadium before renovation]]
Hinchliffe Stadium continues on the public radar even as it continues to deteriorate. Former Mayor Jose Torres's non-binding bond resolution for restoring the stadium received round public endorsement on the local ballot in 2005. The schools have shown interest in mounting a funding drive that will not only bring the stadium back to its former glory but envision it as both a multiplex sports facility (basketball, swimming, ice hockey) and a Sports Business Academy for the school district. There has been some discussion about making it an enhancement to New Jersey's planned "urban park" for the Great Falls. Some see a logical extension of landmark protection to the stadium, a project that would incorporate into a single thematic cultural landscape this cluster of three great historic sites: Paterson's Great Falls, the National Landmark Industrial District, and Hinchliffe Stadium.<ref name="application">Hinchliffe Stadium National Register Application, 2003, with additions by the supervising editor of that application and The Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ensslin |first1=John C. |title=Paterson mayor lays out vision of revival in 'State of the City' address - NorthJersey.com |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/062911_Paterson_mayor_lays_out_grand_plans_in_State_of_the_City_address.html |access-date=September 24, 2011 |work=[[Bergen Record]] |date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019040711/http://www.northjersey.com/news/062911_Paterson_mayor_lays_out_grand_plans_in_State_of_the_City_address.html?page=all |archive-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref> On May 19, 2010, the stadium was designated one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2010 by the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/northeast-region/hinchliffe-stadium.html|title=Hinchliffe Stadium|access-date=July 3, 2010|publisher=[[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=Herb |title=Bill that links neglected Hinchliffe Stadium to Paterson national park advances - News - NorthJersey.com |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/bill-that-links-neglected-hinchliffe-stadium-to-paterson-national-park-advances-1.1055439 |access-date=July 23, 2014 |work=[[Bergen Record]] |date=July 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729114830/http://www.northjersey.com/news/bill-that-links-neglected-hinchliffe-stadium-to-paterson-national-park-advances-1.1055439 |archive-date=July 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/12/paterson_national_historical_park_likely_to_include_hinchliffe_stadium.html|title=Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium, where Negro League stars played, may be preserved in defense bill|date=December 2014|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 1, 2017}}</ref>
In 2009, efforts to renovate Hinchliffe began in earnest when Paterson mayor [[Andre Sayegh]], then a member of the city council, visited [[Rickwood Field]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], one of the few remaining Negro League stadiums still standing. Sayegh believed that Hinchliffe could be restored and vowed to himself that if he was elected mayor he would lead the effort to do so.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Gary |title=Baseball returns to the hollowed grounds of a Negro League stadium |work=The New York Times |date=May 17, 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/sports/baseball/hinchliffe-stadium-new-jersey.html |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Reichard |first1=Kevin |title=Jackals announce move to Hinchliffe Stadium for 2023 |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2022/09/14/jackals-announce-move-to-hinchliffe-stadium-for-2023/ |access-date=September 16, 2022 |work=Ballpark Digest |publisher=August Publications |date=September 15, 2022}}</ref>


⚫
Elected mayor in 2018, Sayegh secured the necessary political support and funding for the renovation and in 2021 ground was broken on a $94 million project to both restore and upgrade the stadium.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bob |title='A magical place': Hinchliffe Stadium, former Negro Leagues ballpark, being restored to its former glory |url=https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7204725002 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |work=USA Today |date=April 13, 2021}}</ref> Funding for the project was dependent on the return of a professional baseball team, a condition that was met when the [[New Jersey Jackals]] announced they would be moving from [[Yogi Berra Stadium]] in 2023 and play at Hinchliffe Stadium.<ref name=NYT/>
The voters of Paterson approved a ballot initiative to renovate the crumbling stadium in November 2009.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Mandell
| first = Meredith
| title = Voters Approve
| newspaper = The Record
| date = November 3, 2009
| url = http://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/elections/election2009paterson.html
| access-date = September 15, 2011
}}</ref> The Hinchliffe renovations are part of a large-scale project which will also see renovations to Bauerle Field, the current home of Paterson's public high school football and track teams, and the [[Paterson Armory]]; the majority of the money, nearly $13 million, will go to restoring Hinchliffe Stadium.


The stadium had a [[Soft launch|soft opening]] on May 17, 2023 that featured a high school softball game, as well as a baseball game between Paterson's [[Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey)|Eastside High School]] and [[Don Bosco Preparatory High School|Don Bosco Prep]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Tartaglia |first=Greg |date=May 25, 2023 |title=The son of a former NY Mets infielder, Paterson baseball star looks to make his own mark |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/son-former-ny-mets-infielder-081149900.html |work=The Bergen Record|location=Woodland Park, New Jersey |access-date=May 25, 2023}}</ref> Hinchliffe's [[Opening ceremony|grand opening]] occurred on May 19, 2023 and was attended by numerous celebrities, including [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and New Jersey Senator [[Cory Booker]].<ref name=abc7>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Anthony |title=Historic Hinchliffe Stadium reopens after 2 year, $103M transformation |url=https://abc7ny.com/hinchliffe-stadium-reopen-negro-league-ribbon-cutting/13269870/ |website=[[WABC-TV|ABC7 News]] |date=May 19, 2023 |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> Goldberg told the media that preserving the stadium was essential to preserving American history, saying "Anything that's happened in this country should never be erased from books of any kind because we need to know, we need to remember. Little kids need to know, and they need to understand. There's not a color in this country that doesn't participate in our collective history."<ref name=abc7/> Other notables in attendance included Executive Director of the [[Major League Baseball Players Association|MLB Players Association]] [[Tony Clark]], former baseball team manager [[Joe Maddon]], and [[MLB Network]] insider [[Tom Verducci]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cichalski |first1=Dan |title=Nearly century-old 'sacred stadium' has historic reopening |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/hinchliffe-stadium-ribbon-cutting-draws-celebrities |website=MLB.com |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>
The former mayor of Paterson, [[Joey Torres]], had committed to seeing the restoration of the stadium by the end of his term in 2018. He left office in 2017 and accepted a plea deal in response to charges of corruption. Further improvements to the stadium may come with the efforts to upgrade the area around the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Malinconico |first1=Joe |title=Paterson mayor sets bold goal of finishing Hinchliffe Stadium restoration in three years - News - NorthJersey.com |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/paterson-mayor-sets-bold-goal-of-finishing-hinchliffe-stadium-restoration-in-three-years-1.1378478 |access-date=July 22, 2015 |work=Paterson Press |date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725044444/http://www.northjersey.com/news/paterson-mayor-sets-bold-goal-of-finishing-hinchliffe-stadium-restoration-in-three-years-1.1378478 |archive-date=July 25, 2015}}</ref> In March 2018, a $500,000 grant from the federal African American Civil Rights grant program of the [[National Park Service]] and the federal African American Civil Rights grant program was provided to renovate the facility's exterior facade.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Malinconico |first1=Joe |title=$500,000 from feds boosts façade work at Paterson’s Hinchliffe Stadium |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/paterson-press/2018/03/13/500-k-feds-boosts-facade-work-patersons-hinchliffe-stadium/420843002/ |access-date=August 22, 2018 |work=Paterson Press |date=March 13, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> In April 2019, Mayor [[Andre Sayegh]] proposed $18.7 million in repairs to reopen Hinchfliffe Stadium as a facility for baseball, soccer, football, and track.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Spedden |first1=Zach |title=Paterson Mayor Pitches Hinchliffe Stadium Repairs |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/04/29/paterson-mayor-pitches-hinchliffe-stadium-repairs/ |access-date=April 30, 2019 |work=Ballpark Digest |date=April 29, 2019}}</ref>


During the opening ceremonies, Sayegh said that he and former professional baseball player [[Harold Reynolds]] had spoken to MLB Commissioner [[Rob Manfred]] about hosting an annual major league baseball game at the stadium as a means of honoring the Negro Leagues.<ref name=NYT/>
⚫
In 2021 ground was broken on a $94 million project to renovate the stadium and reconstruct it so that they can open it.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bob |title='A magical place': Hinchliffe Stadium, former Negro Leagues ballpark, being restored to its former glory |url=https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7204725002 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |work=USA Today |date=April 13, 2021}}</ref>


It has been confirmed starting in the 2023 season that the [[New Jersey Jackals]] will be playing at the stadium after moving from [[Yogi Berra Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reichard |first1=Kevin |title=Jackals announce move to Hinchliffe Stadium for 2023 |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2022/09/14/jackals-announce-move-to-hinchliffe-stadium-for-2023/ |access-date=September 16, 2022 |work=Ballpark Digest |publisher=August Publications |date=September 15, 2022}}</ref>
The Jackals played their first game at the stadium on May 21, 2023, against the [[Sussex County Miners]]. 400 people attended the game and saw the Jackals defeat the Miners 10-6.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cichalski |first1=Dan |title=History -- and homers -- on display as Jackals debut at Hinchliffe Stadium |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/new-jersey-jackals-play-first-game-at-hinchliffe-stadium|website=MLB.com |access-date=22 May 2023}}</ref>

Critics of the stadium renovation included Jackal fans who questioned the decision moving the team to an area with significant crime and transportation issues. Jackals owner, Al Dorso, who agreed to lease the stadium from the city annually for 180 days, was also criticized by community leaders for placing profits over the needs of local residents.<ref name=NYT/>


==See also==
==See also==
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* [[Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park]]
* [[Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park]]
* [[Ruppert Stadium (Newark)]]
* [[Ruppert Stadium (Newark)]]
* [[Olmsted Brothers]] - Architects for Hinchliffe Stadium


Some Negro league ballparks that are still standing or rebuilt elsewhere include:
Some Negro league ballparks that are still standing or rebuilt elsewhere include:
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{{NRHP in Passaic County, New Jersey}}
{{NRHP in Passaic County, New Jersey}}
{{NewYorksportsvenues}}
{{NewYorksportsvenues}}
{{New York Cubans}}


[[Category:Sports venues in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sports venues in New Jersey]]
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[[Category:Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Negro league baseball venues]]
[[Category:Defunct Negro league baseball venues]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1932]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1932]]
[[Category:Soccer venues in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Soccer venues in New Jersey]]
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[[Category:New Jersey Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:New Jersey Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:African-American history of New Jersey]]
[[Category:African-American history of New Jersey]]
[[Category:Negro league baseball venues still standing]]
[[Category:Negro league baseball venues]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Baseball venues in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Baseball venues in New Jersey]]

Latest revision as of 23:32, 8 December 2024

Hinchliffe Stadium
Map
Former namesHinchliffe City Stadium
AddressMaple and Liberty Streets
Paterson, New Jersey
Coordinates40°55′6″N 74°10′52″W / 40.91833°N 74.18111°W / 40.91833; -74.18111
OwnerPaterson Board of Education
Capacity10,000 (1932–2023)
7,500 (2023–present)
Acreage5.7 acres (2.3 ha)
SurfaceVarious
Construction
Built1931–1932
Renovated1963–1964, 1983, 2021–2022
Closed1997
Reopened2023
ArchitectOlmsted Brothers
Tenants
Paterson Giants (IFL) 1932–1933
Paterson Night Hawks (I) 1932–1933
Silk City Bears (I) 1932
New York Black Yankees (NNL II)
1933–1935, 1937–1938
New York Cubans (NNL II) 1935–1936
Paterson Panthers (AA)
1936–1941, 1946–1950
New Jersey Jackals (FL) 2023–present
Hinchliffe Stadium
Architectural styleArt Deco with Mission style elements
NRHP reference No.04000223[1]
NJRHP No.4234[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 22, 2004 (local significance error)[3][4]
Designated NHLMarch 11, 2013[2]
Designated NJRHPJanuary 27, 2004

Hinchliffe Stadium (/ˈhɪntʃ.lɪf/) is a 7,500-seat stadium located in Paterson, New Jersey.[5] The stadium is located atop the Great Falls of the Passaic River, and is part of the surrounding National Historical Park. The stadium, built in 1932, was closed in 1996 after years of neglect but reopened in 2023.

The stadium's primary user is the Paterson Board of Education, where it serves as a multipurpose facility for the city’s two high schools, Eastside High School and Kennedy High School. As of 2023, it also serves as the home stadium for the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Frontier League; the Jackals spent their previous 25 seasons playing at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey.

Hinchliffe Stadium was also used as the home of the New York Black Yankees of the Negro Leagues, and is one of four stadia still standing that hosted Negro League baseball games.[6][7]

Early years

[edit]

The stadium, a large concrete oval with near-continuous seating laid out like a classical amphitheater, was inspired by a decade-long popular "stadium movement" in the 1920s, and was finally brought to fruition through the persistent efforts of its namesake Mayor John Hinchliffe, who made his fortune from Hinchliffe Brewing before it closed due to Prohibition. It opened on July 8, 1932, as a combination athletic facility and a "paying investment" for the working people of industrial Paterson, New Jersey, who were by then struggling through the early years of the Great Depression. Many workers laid off from the mills found work under a New Deal-financed program to provide enhancements to the stadium in 1932–34.

Aerial photo of Hinchliffe Stadium with Great Falls in foreground

The stadium immediately played host to the Negro National League and "barnstorming" games. In 1933, the stadium's first complete season hosting baseball, Hinchliffe hosted the Colored Championship of the Nation, the Negro leagues equivalent of the World Series, between the New York Black Yankees and Philadelphia Stars. That same year, the New York Black Yankees made the stadium their home, a tenure that lasted until 1938 and was interrupted only once in the 1936 season when they split time between Freeport and Middletown, New York. After 1939, the Black Yankees left Hinchliffe and took up residency at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.[8][9] Hinchliffe was also home to the New York Cubans in 1935 and 1936.[10]

The baseball played at Hinchliffe Stadium was some of the best and most competitive in the game, including prodigious athletes like Monte Irvin, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and "Cool Papa" Bell, among many others. Hall-of-Famer Larry Doby, the legendary player who broke the American League color barrier in 1947, grew up in Paterson playing football and baseball in Hinchliffe Stadium for Paterson's Eastside High School, and was scouted from Hinchliffe for the Newark Eagles in 1942.

Hinchliffe became an important venue for boxing (Diamond Gloves, precursor to the Golden Gloves), auto racing (precursor to NASCAR featuring stock car racing, pre-Indianapolis racing, and midget car racing events), and professional football.[11] Racers that appeared at Hinchliffe included Dutch Schaefer, Ted Horn, Bill Schindler, Art Cross, and Tex Keene.[11] Victory Bond rallies held at the stadium during World War II drew sports stars and New York and Hollywood celebrities by the dozens. Among the many notable events headlined at Hinchliffe were shows performed by Abbott and Costello. (Lou Costello was born and raised in Paterson's Eastside section.)

Throughout its history, though, Hinchliffe Stadium's primary use was as a venue for Paterson high school sports. Its two high schools, Eastside High School and Central High School, shared the stadium for various sports including football and baseball until the late 1960s. (Kennedy High School, opened in 1965, also used Hinchliffe.) The schools' annual intercity Thanksgiving Day matchup was always held at Hinchliffe, and the venue would also play host to other schools' teams who took advantage of its large capacity; for instance, Paterson's neighbor Clifton used the stadium for its football team during the 1940s until opening its own Stadium October 14, 1950.

Later years, closing and preservation efforts

[edit]

At first Hinchliffe, sometimes called "City Stadium", was municipally owned. In 1963, as the schools assumed full ownership, they undertook an array of repairs and upgrades that included repositioning the baseball diamond and adding fill to the area above and along the river (the "cliff" area, called "The Valley of the Rocks") in order to enlarge the football field and lengthen the track. In the following decades, the stadium did yeoman service for both school sports and major public events, including—from the 1970s on—concerts, antique car shows, and the fireworks displays for the Great Falls Festivals that have become a favorite feature of Paterson's Labor Day celebrations. Duke Ellington held one of his last major concerts here in 1971.

In 1983, the field received another upgrade under Mayor Frank X. Graves, Jr. These repairs made previously temporary stands permanent, added handicap access and storage facilities, and resulted in the installation of an Astroturf field surface. In 1988 Hinchliffe Stadium became the home of the New Jersey Eagles of the American Soccer League, and the Eagles called the stadium home for two seasons before moving to another venue for their third and final season.

The general decline of the school system in Paterson over the next decade meant the diversion of maintenance resources away from the stadium. Although the facility continued to be used through the 1990s, Hinchliffe Stadium fell further into disrepair due to underfunding and was eventually closed at the end of the 1996–97 school year and threatened with demolition. This forced Eastside High School and Kennedy High School to play their entire 1997 football seasons on the road and both schools returned to playing in Paterson for the 1998 season at Bauerle Field, located near Eastside High School.

The threat of demolition sparked a new movement to find ways and means of restoring and revitalizing this historic venue. A group of local citizens formed the non-profit Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium, announcing in September 2002, on the 70th anniversary of the stadium's dedication. A month later, Schools Superintendent Edwin Duroy announced a proposal to revitalize the facility into a stadium complex. The National Register of Historic Places designation by the State Office of Historic Preservation deemed Hinchliffe as only "locally significant", even though segregation and the Negro leagues were of national prominence. This cost the stadium much-needed funding from the Save America's Treasures grant funding program.

Stadium renovation

[edit]
Hinchliffe Stadium before renovation

In 2009, efforts to renovate Hinchliffe began in earnest when Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh, then a member of the city council, visited Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, one of the few remaining Negro League stadiums still standing. Sayegh believed that Hinchliffe could be restored and vowed to himself that if he was elected mayor he would lead the effort to do so.[12][13]

Elected mayor in 2018, Sayegh secured the necessary political support and funding for the renovation and in 2021 ground was broken on a $94 million project to both restore and upgrade the stadium.[14] Funding for the project was dependent on the return of a professional baseball team, a condition that was met when the New Jersey Jackals announced they would be moving from Yogi Berra Stadium in 2023 and play at Hinchliffe Stadium.[12]

The stadium had a soft opening on May 17, 2023 that featured a high school softball game, as well as a baseball game between Paterson's Eastside High School and Don Bosco Prep.[15] Hinchliffe's grand opening occurred on May 19, 2023 and was attended by numerous celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.[16] Goldberg told the media that preserving the stadium was essential to preserving American history, saying "Anything that's happened in this country should never be erased from books of any kind because we need to know, we need to remember. Little kids need to know, and they need to understand. There's not a color in this country that doesn't participate in our collective history."[16] Other notables in attendance included Executive Director of the MLB Players Association Tony Clark, former baseball team manager Joe Maddon, and MLB Network insider Tom Verducci.[17]

During the opening ceremonies, Sayegh said that he and former professional baseball player Harold Reynolds had spoken to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred about hosting an annual major league baseball game at the stadium as a means of honoring the Negro Leagues.[12]

The Jackals played their first game at the stadium on May 21, 2023, against the Sussex County Miners. 400 people attended the game and saw the Jackals defeat the Miners 10-6.[18]

Critics of the stadium renovation included Jackal fans who questioned the decision moving the team to an area with significant crime and transportation issues. Jackals owner, Al Dorso, who agreed to lease the stadium from the city annually for 180 days, was also criticized by community leaders for placing profits over the needs of local residents.[12]

See also

[edit]

Some Negro league ballparks that are still standing or rebuilt elsewhere include:

  • Josh Gibson Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is still standing and was renovated in 2008.
  • McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina was originally built in 1924 then used in the 1940s by the Asheville Blues. It was rebuilt in 1992 is used as a ballpark by the Tourists.
  • Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama is still standing and is an active sports venue and museum.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Passaic County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. November 22, 2013. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2014.
  3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings April 2, 2004". Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  4. ^ "Ballparks of the Negro Leagues and Barnstorming Black Baseball Teams". Negro League Baseball Players Association. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  5. ^ "Hinchliffe Stadium: a National Historic Landmark | Built in 1932". hinchliffestadium. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Mallinconico, Joe (May 15, 2013). "After three-year battle, Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium gets local historic status". Patterson Press. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Salant, Jonathan D. (December 12, 2014). "Congress adds N.J. stadium where Negro League stars played to Paterson national park". NJ.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "New York Black Yankees franchise history". Seamheads.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  9. ^ "Who are the Black Yankees? Legendary Negro League team to be honored". NJ Advance Media. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "New York Cubans". seamheads.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Racing: An Overview". Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d Phillips, Gary (May 17, 2023). "Baseball returns to the hollowed grounds of a Negro League stadium". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Reichard, Kevin (September 15, 2022). "Jackals announce move to Hinchliffe Stadium for 2023". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  14. ^ Nightengale, Bob (April 13, 2021). "'A magical place': Hinchliffe Stadium, former Negro Leagues ballpark, being restored to its former glory". USA Today. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Tartaglia, Greg (May 25, 2023). "The son of a former NY Mets infielder, Paterson baseball star looks to make his own mark". The Bergen Record. Woodland Park, New Jersey. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Johnson, Anthony (May 19, 2023). "Historic Hinchliffe Stadium reopens after 2 year, $103M transformation". ABC7 News. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Cichalski, Dan. "Nearly century-old 'sacred stadium' has historic reopening". MLB.com. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  18. ^ Cichalski, Dan. "History -- and homers -- on display as Jackals debut at Hinchliffe Stadium". MLB.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.

Further reading

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[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hinchliffe Stadium.
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