Hinchliffe Stadium facts for kids
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Hinchliffe Stadium
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The field of Hinchliffe Stadium in winter 2009
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 Location in Passaic County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | Maple and Liberty Streets Paterson, New Jersey |
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| Area | 5.7 acres (2.3 ha) |
| Built | 1931–1932 |
| Architect | Olmsted Brothers |
| Architectural style | Art Deco with Mission style elements |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000223 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 22, 2004 (local significance error) |
| Designated NHL | March 11, 2013 |
Hinchliffe Stadium is a large stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. It has seats for 10,000 people. The stadium was finished in 1932. It sits high above Paterson's famous Great Falls. This area is also a national historic district.
Hinchliffe Stadium is well-known for hosting auto racing. But it is even more famous for its role in Negro league baseball. It is one of the few stadiums left that hosted important games during the Jim Crow era in America. In March 2013, the stadium became a National Historic Landmark. It was also named a Paterson Historic Landmark in May 2013. Later, in December 2014, the stadium became part of the Great Falls National Landmark District.
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The Stadium's Early Years
Hinchliffe Stadium is a big concrete oval with many seats. It looks like an ancient amphitheater. The idea for the stadium came from a popular "stadium movement" in the 1920s. Mayor John Hinchliffe worked hard to make it happen. He had made his money from brewing before Prohibition stopped it.
The stadium opened on July 8, 1932. It was meant to be a sports place and a good investment for the working people of Paterson. At that time, many people were struggling during the Great Depression. Many workers who lost their jobs found new work. They helped improve the stadium from 1932 to 1934. This work was part of a New Deal program.
Baseball and Famous Players
Right away, Hinchliffe Stadium hosted Negro league games. These were games played by teams of African American players. In 1933, the stadium hosted the Colored Championship of the Nation. This was like the World Series for the Negro leagues.
The New York Black Yankees made Hinchliffe Stadium their home field from 1934 to 1945. They only left once, in 1938, to play at Triborough Stadium in New York. After World War II, the Black Yankees moved to Rochester, New York. The New York Cubans also played at Hinchliffe in 1935 and 1936.
Some of the best baseball players ever played at Hinchliffe Stadium. These included amazing athletes like 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 Stadium for Eastside High School. In 1947, Larry Doby became the first African American player in the American League. He was scouted from Hinchliffe in 1942.
Other Exciting Events
Hinchliffe became a key place for many other events. It hosted boxing matches, like the Diamond Gloves. It was also a big spot for auto racing. Early NASCAR stock car races and midget car racing events took place here. Famous racers like Dutch Schaefer and Ted Horn competed at Hinchliffe.
During World War II, the stadium held Victory Bond rallies. Many sports stars and celebrities from New York and Hollywood came to these events. The famous comedy duo Abbott and Costello also performed shows at Hinchliffe. Lou Costello was born and grew up in Paterson.
Throughout its history, Hinchliffe Stadium was mainly used for high school sports. Paterson's two main high schools, Eastside High School and Central High School, shared the stadium. They played football and baseball there until the late 1960s. Later, Kennedy High School also used Hinchliffe. The yearly Thanksgiving Day football game between the schools was always held at Hinchliffe. Other schools, like Clifton, also used the stadium for their football teams.
The Stadium's Later Years
At first, the city of Paterson owned Hinchliffe Stadium. In 1963, the schools took over ownership. They made many repairs and upgrades. They moved the baseball field and added dirt 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 and antique car shows. It also held fireworks displays for the Great Falls Festivals on Labor Day. The famous musician Duke Ellington played one of his last big concerts here in 1971.
In 1983, the field got another upgrade. These repairs made temporary stands permanent. They also added handicap access and storage areas. An Astroturf field surface was installed. In 1988, Hinchliffe Stadium became home to the New Jersey Eagles soccer team. They played there for two seasons.
Over the next ten years, the school system in Paterson faced challenges. This meant less money for stadium upkeep. Hinchliffe Stadium continued to be used in the 1990s. But it fell into worse and worse condition because of a lack of funding. It finally closed at the end of the 1996–97 school year. There was even talk of tearing it down. This forced the high school football teams to play all 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. A month later, the Schools Superintendent suggested a plan to fix up the stadium. Hinchliffe was first called "locally significant" for its history. This meant it missed out on some important funding.
Efforts to Restore Hinchliffe Stadium
Hinchliffe Stadium is still important to the public, even as it continues to wear down. In 2005, voters in Paterson supported a plan to restore the stadium. The schools also showed interest in raising money. They wanted to bring the stadium back to its former glory. They also hoped to make it a multi-sport facility. It could even become a Sports Business Academy for the school district.
There has been talk about making the stadium part of New Jersey's planned "urban park" for the Great Falls. Some people believe the stadium should be protected as a landmark. This would connect it with Paterson's Great Falls and the historic industrial district. On May 19, 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Hinchliffe one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
In November 2009, Paterson voters approved a plan to renovate the stadium. The Hinchliffe renovations are part of a bigger project. This project also includes fixing up Bauerle Field and the Paterson Armory. Most of the money, nearly $13 million, will go to restoring Hinchliffe Stadium.
In March 2018, a grant of $500,000 was given to renovate the stadium's outside. This money came from a federal program for African American Civil Rights. In April 2019, Mayor Andre Sayegh suggested spending $18.7 million to reopen Hinchliffe Stadium. The goal is for it to host baseball, soccer, football, and track events again.
In 2021, work officially began on a $94 million project. This project aims to renovate and rebuild the stadium so it can open its doors once more.
