Hinchliffe Stadium facts for kids
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| Former names | City Stadium |
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| Address | Maple and Liberty Streets Paterson, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 40°55′6″N 74°10′52″W / 40.91833°N 74.18111°W |
| Public transit | New Jersey Transit Paterson station |
| Owner | Paterson Board of Education |
| Operator | New Jersey Jackals |
| Capacity | 10,000 (1932–2022) 7,500 (2022–present) |
| Acreage | 5.7 acres (2.3 ha) |
| Surface | Various |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1931–1932 |
| Renovated | 1963–1964, 1983, 2021–2022 |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Reopened | 2023 |
| Architect | Olmsted 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 New York Cosmos (USL1) (2026–present) |
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Hinchliffe Stadium
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| Architectural style | Art Deco with Mission style elements |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000223 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 22, 2004 (local significance error) |
| Designated NHL | March 11, 2013 |
Hinchliffe Stadium is a famous sports stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. It has 7,500 seats and sits right next to the amazing Great Falls of the Passaic River. This area is part of a special National Historical Park. The stadium was built in 1932. After being closed for many years, it reopened in 2023.
The stadium is mainly used by the Paterson Board of Education. It's a place for different sports for the city's two high schools, Eastside High School and Kennedy High School. Since 2023, it has also been the home field for the New Jersey Jackals. They are a professional baseball team in the Frontier League (FL). Before this, the Jackals played at Yogi Berra Stadium for 25 seasons.
Hinchliffe Stadium was also a home field for the New York Black Yankees baseball team. They were part of the historic Negro Leagues. It is one of only four stadiums left that hosted Negro League games. The stadium is also planned to be the home for the New York Cosmos soccer team starting in 2026. They will play in USL League One.
Contents
A Look Back: The Stadium's Early Days
The stadium is a big concrete oval with seats all around, like an ancient amphitheater. It was inspired by a popular idea in the 1920s to build more stadiums. Mayor John Hinchliffe worked hard to make it happen. He had made his money from a brewing company.
The stadium opened on July 8, 1932. It was meant to be a place for sports and a good investment for the people of Paterson. Many people in Paterson were struggling during the Great Depression. Workers who had lost their jobs found new work helping to improve the stadium from 1932 to 1934. This work was part of a government program called the New Deal.
Right away, Hinchliffe Stadium hosted games for the Negro National League. In 1933, it hosted the Colored Championship of the Nation. This was like the World Series for the Negro Leagues. The New York Black Yankees and Philadelphia Stars played there. The New York Black Yankees made Hinchliffe their home field until 1938.
Amazing baseball players played at Hinchliffe Stadium. These included Monte Irvin, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and "Cool Papa" Bell. Larry Doby, a legendary player, grew up in Paterson. He played football and baseball at Hinchliffe for Eastside High School. He was later scouted from Hinchliffe to play for the Newark Eagles in 1942. Larry Doby broke the color barrier in the American League in 1947.
Hinchliffe also became a popular place for other events. It hosted boxing matches and auto racing events. These races included stock car and midget car racing. Famous racers like Ted Horn and Art Cross competed there. During World War II, the stadium held rallies to support the war effort. Many sports stars and celebrities from New York and Hollywood attended. The famous comedy duo Abbott and Costello also performed shows at Hinchliffe. Lou Costello was born in Paterson.
Throughout its history, Hinchliffe Stadium was most important for Paterson high school sports. Eastside High School and Central High School shared the stadium for football and baseball. Later, Kennedy High School also used it. The annual Thanksgiving Day football game between the city's high schools was always a big event at Hinchliffe.
Changes Over Time: Closing and Efforts to Save It
At first, Hinchliffe was owned by the city and sometimes called "City Stadium." In 1963, the schools took full ownership. They made many repairs and upgrades. They moved the baseball field and added more land to make the football field bigger. They also made the track longer.
For decades, the stadium was used for school sports and big public events. From the 1970s, it hosted concerts, antique car shows, and fireworks displays. These fireworks were part of Paterson's Labor Day celebrations. The famous musician Duke Ellington performed one of his last major concerts here in 1971.
In 1983, the field got another upgrade. Permanent stands were added, along with handicap access and storage. An Astroturf field surface was also installed. In 1988, Hinchliffe Stadium became home to the New Jersey Eagles soccer team for two seasons.
Over the next ten years, the school system in Paterson faced challenges. This meant less money was available to maintain the stadium. Even though it was used through the 1990s, Hinchliffe Stadium fell into disrepair. It eventually closed at the end of the 1996–97 school year. There was even talk of tearing it down. This closure meant high school teams had to play their games away from Paterson.
The idea of tearing down the stadium led to a new effort to save it. A group of local citizens formed "Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium" in 2002. They wanted to restore this historic place. The stadium was recognized as a historic place by New Jersey. However, it was only seen as "locally significant." This meant it missed out on some important national funding. Many people felt it should have been recognized for its national importance in the history of segregation and the Negro Leagues.
A New Beginning: The Stadium's Renovation
In 2009, serious efforts to renovate Hinchliffe began. Paterson city councilor Andre Sayegh visited Rickwood Field in Alabama. Rickwood Field is another one of the few remaining Negro League stadiums. Sayegh believed Hinchliffe could also be restored. He promised to lead the effort if he became mayor.
Andre Sayegh was elected mayor in 2018. He gathered the support and money needed for the renovation. In 2021, work began on a $94 million project to restore and upgrade the stadium. The project's funding depended on a professional baseball team returning to the stadium. This condition was met when the New Jersey Jackals announced they would move to Hinchliffe Stadium in 2023.
The stadium had a soft opening on May 17, 2023. It hosted a high school softball game and a baseball game. The grand opening happened on May 19, 2023. Many famous people attended, including Whoopi Goldberg and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. Whoopi Goldberg said that saving the stadium was important for American history. She explained that all parts of history should be remembered and understood by everyone.
During the opening, Mayor Sayegh mentioned talking to the MLB Commissioner. They discussed hosting an annual major league baseball game at Hinchliffe. This would be a way to honor the Negro Leagues.
The Jackals played their first game at the stadium on May 21, 2023. They played against the Sussex County Miners and won 10–6. About 400 people watched the game. Some fans of the Jackals had questions about moving the team. They were concerned about the new location. The Jackals' owner, Al Dorso, agreed to lease the stadium from the city for 180 days each year.
See also
- Paterson Public Schools
- Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
- Ruppert Stadium (Newark)
- Olmsted Brothers - Architects for Hinchliffe Stadium
Some other Negro League ballparks that are still standing or have been rebuilt 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. It was used in the 1940s by the Asheville Blues. It was rebuilt in 1992 and is now used by the Tourists.
- Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama is still standing. It is an active sports venue and museum.
