Hinchliffe Stadium

http://www.flickr.com//photos/preservationnation/sets/72157624043569146/show/

A Plea To The NFL, The MLB, And Anyone Else Who Wishes To Support The Restoration Of Hinchliffe Stadium.  One Of The Last Standing Negro League Ball Parks In The Nation.

Here is where this whole website/facebook idea began.  I began working at School 5 with over 1100 students from the area through AmeriCorps and when I first arrived on the job, I walked up the stairs every day, looked down and saw this, and shook my head in disgust:

Hinchliffe Stadium - One of three remaining Negro League ballparks left standing in the nation. A National Historic Landmark. Home to the NY Black Yankees. Home to the second black baseball player to cross the color barrier in Larry Doby.

It has deteriorated for over 14 years and it is at this point in time, a waste of space, an eyesore, and it is the perfect symbol of Paterson's troubled past and crime ridden history.  In 2010, the National Trust For Historic Preservation listed Hinchliffe as one of the top 11 most endangered historic places in the nation.

Fortunately, when I looked down at the run down stadium, I also saw a major opportunity...  And it was because of what I saw in the youth of the city that has made me committed to this day to seize that opportunity.

The kids loved me.  They listened to me.  They look up to me.  Any time I walk back into School 5 and visit this year, I get swarmed from all angles by a herd of bright, young, and innocent children thrilled to see me.  The amount of students and families that I now affected positively just 1.5 years has only grown.  Kind of like this Facebook idea.  


This is for those children and their families.  For all of Paterson's families.

Paterson is changing for the better.  I can see it.  Many, many responsible and well intentioned people are entering or presently reside amongst the ranks of leadership throughout the city.  No one's perfect but everyone certainly brings something to the table that we can use to be better.  I pretty much consider myself to be a part of that group already despite the fact that I’m *just* a teacher.  (I’m not denigrating the profession, I’m promoting it)

This city is progressing but it is not going to be easy, resources are still not easy to come by.  The school district owns the stadium and again, I can vouch for the members of the board and the state appointed Superintendent that they are headed in the right direction and getting this facility up and running again is a major priority.  They are making strides everywhere in the schools and they recognize how vital this facility could be given the dearth of athletic fields in the city already.

But obviously they can't make the funds magically appear.

Enter Brian LoPinto.  He started a non-profit called Friends of Hinchliffe.  He's taken the charge and led efforts to fundraise, plan, get community feedback, etc…  Basically doing the things that need to be done to revive this treasure.  He secured a 500,000 dollar grant from the state this past year to survey the site and essentially get the planning in order, gathering estimates and such.  But that's about where it stands right now.  When I first connected with Brian, it was clear I needed to lead him to the Giants, the NFL, and the MLB, using whatever resources I might have at that disposal.  From what I can see, Brian is like myself in that he's completely driven with a purpose and he's going to make this stadium happen one way or another.  Lets make it even easier for him and ourselves.

This community doesn't just want a functioning sports facility like Hinchliffe;the community NEEDS a facility like this.  They have a park close to East Side High that serves the purpose of playing a game well enough, they have some bleachers up there.  But there's two high school sports programs in New Jersey's third largest city.  No central stadium to bring it all together.  

The Friday night lights.  The band playing.  The cheerleaders, the dance teams, announcing and tech crews, families gathering, concerts.  Summer baseball leagues.   All things that bring the youth and families together and it doesn't involve the streets, crime, and drugs.  Obviously those things don't go away overnight but a community culture centered around sports, the arts, and other things can slowly erode the gang culture that overruns the city now in many areas.  Bringing people together like that is powerful and it can work.

For clarifying purposes, obviously I'm really thinking about all sports here but the football example really is easiest to envision.  

An even more intriguing part, the stadium is located right next to Paterson's Great Falls, where we have designated America's next National Park.  How can we break ground on a historically prestigious National Park, a park intended to highlight how we are one of the most significant cities in American History, and not have this historical landmark of a stadium restored as soon as humanly possible.  (the falls are right at the bottom of this picture)

Hinchliffe Stadium's restoration is one of the most important aspects of Paterson's beauty and importance and it really is going to be so vital going forward in our development.

Please help us reach where we want to go.

Please go check out Friends of Hinchliffe and find out what you can do about this National Historic Landmark that is going to be a vital part of Paterson's community in the future.

This is a project that can have no more time wasted.

It is at the very top of our city's priority list. Period.

At the least, our children deserve the playing space.

Special thanks to Brian LoPinto and the people at Friends of Hinchliffe for spearheading this effort.