The Preservation of Hinchliffe Stadium

Introduction

The preservation movement in the United States has historically been used to create and share stories relating to our national heritage. Thus, it is only fitting that America’s “National Pastime” should be considered when analyzing the theoretical framework of the profession. Baseball is uniquely linked to American history, in that so many of the major themes that tell the story of our nation have overlapped with the game, whether it be race, gender, war, labor, politics, and so on. Almost any of these themes can be explored through the lens of baseball, and this overlap extends to historic preservation. 

Preservation, when involving baseball, tends to be centralized around ballparks, the structures that define the field of play and provide space for fans to gather. The history of saving these buildings has in some ways mirrored that of historic preservation in the United States. Like preservation generally, its origins partially stem from a grassroots movement in Boston, organized to save Fenway Park in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Additionally, ballpark preservation tends to focus on places tied to the history of a white majority while ignoring Black history, as only a handful of stadiums tied to the Negro Leagues remain extant. Even considerations of reconstruction, renovation, and authenticity arise in ballpark preservation, as older stadiums must be massively upgraded to provide the amenities and comforts expected by a modern clientele. The story of Hinchliffe Stadium, in Paterson, New Jersey, can be used to examine how preservation and baseball have aligned in recent years.

History of Hinchliffe Stadium

Hinchliffe Stadium Postcard (Courtesy of Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium, n.d.)

Hinchliffe Stadium is a municipally-owned athletic venue in the city of Paterson, New Jersey, with a historic capacity of over 10,000. Opened in 1932 and constructed based on a design by the noted Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm, the stadium is located near the Great Falls, a 77-foot waterfall on the Passaic River, the water power of which contributed greatly to the industrialization of the area. The stadium hosted a variety of sporting events, including football, track-and-field, boxing and auto racing, however, it acquired its historic significance as a venue for professional baseball. Opened during Major League Baseball’s de facto period of segregation, Hinchliffe Stadium became home to the New York Black Yankees and the New York Cubans of the Negro National League. During this time, Baseball Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston and James “Cool Papa” Bell, among others, played in Paterson. Perhaps most significantly to the larger history of baseball, it was at Hinchliffe Stadium that Paterson native Larry Doby played football and baseball for Eastside High School, and was scouted by the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League. After signing with the Eagles and playing parts of five seasons with the team, Dobby was signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1947, becoming the first Black player in the American League. 

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger suggests in his book Ballpark: Baseball in the American City, that “ballparks are rarely on the cutting edge of architecture, but … where other architecture went, ballpark architecture would soon enough follow.” Such was the case with Hinchliffe Stadium, designed in the Art Deco style that saw tremendous popularity in nearby New York City during this period. According to the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form completed for the property, the stadium was designed with “contemporary materials, bold geometric contouring,” and “stylized ceramic decorative elements,” in order to “inspire young athletes” in Paterson during the Great Depression. Constructed primarily of concrete, which has historically been painted white, the structure is adorned with dark red terracotta, as well as tile plaques with images of athletes participating in traditional Olympic events, and has the words “HINCHLIFFE STADIUM” etched into the concrete above its entrances. It is joined in architectural styling by Paterson Public School #5 a large Art Deco building with similar decorative elements, which sits just across the street. 

“Most Endangered”

Hinchliffe Stadium in 2019 (Thomas E. Franklin, 2019)

After several decades of age and use, the first preservation efforts were undertaken at Hinchliffe Stadium in 1963, including some minor renovations and an expansion of the playing surface, after ownership of the property was transferred from the city to Paterson Schools. Twenty years later in 1983, another series of renovations sought to both repair and modernize the stadium, replacing the grass field with artificial turf. Changes made at this point were commemorated on a plaque hung in the stadium concourse. Despite these efforts, use of the stadium decreased over time, and the structure began to deteriorate. The school district chose to close the stadium officially in 1996, quickly sparking discussions of demolition.

Preservationists, realizing the significance of the stadium, took action soon thereafter. In 1997, statewide advocacy group Preservation New Jersey placed Hinchliffe Stadium on their list of the “Ten Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey.” In 2002, an advocacy group for the property was formed, called the “Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium.” In 2004, thanks to the efforts of the Friends and the town Preservation Commission, the stadium was added to both the State of New Jersey and the National Register of Historic Places. Despite further advocacy and efforts to study the property, the physical structure was still at risk. In 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation promoted the cause to a national audience, by recognizing Hinchliffe Stadium to their own list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” The national recognition led to the stadium being elevated to a National Historic Landmark in 2013, and in 2014, incorporated into the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

Preservation Efforts

Rendering of the proposed rehabilitation work and new construction on Hinchliffe Stadium (NJ.com/City of Paterson, 2022)

Although advocacy efforts had been gaining momentum for nearly two decades, it was not until 2018 that major rehabilitation work began at Hinchliffe Stadium. A $300,000 grant was provided by American Express, used to restore the stadium’s concrete façade, ticket windows, and entrance gates. Once the stadium was structurally sound again, a second, more ambitious phase of rehabilitation began. The $94 million project, funded in part by Historic Tax Credits and Community Development Tax Credits, broke ground in April of 2021. Aside from just renovating the stadium, this plan also includes the construction of a restaurant, an exhibit space dedicated to the history of Negro Leagues baseball and racial issues, an affordable housing building, a preschool, and a parking garage. The project is expected to be completed in late 2022 or early 2023. On September 14, 2022, it was announced that the New Jersey Jackals, of the independent Frontier League, would begin playing in Hinchliffe Stadium in 2023, bringing professional baseball back to the stadium for the first time in decades.

Analysis

The preservation and rehabilitation of Hinchliffe Stadium overlaps both with historic preservation themes and recent trends in the field. Hinchliffe Stadium was saved using the grassroots methods that date back to the earliest days of preservation, and the methods used to save it follow the trajectory of preservation in the 20th Century. The “Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium” group is reminiscent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association or the Bostonians who saved the Old South Meeting House. After this group realized enough local support, preservation efforts soon shifted to governmental protections, with advocacy from the quasi-governmental agency the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Official government recognition came with the listing of the stadium on the National Register of Historic Places, and protections soon followed when it was incorporated into a National Historical Park. In this way, the preservation of Hinchliffe Stadium has, in a single property, tracked the long history of Historic Preservation in the United States.

From the theoretical viewpoint of what do we preserve and why, Hinchliffe Stadium represents a line of thinking that rejects historic trends. Instead of focusing on the home of a wealthy, white individual, this property celebrates Black history, significant at both a local and national level. As identified by Ned Kauffman in Place, Race, and Story: Essays on the Past and Future of Historic Preservation, there is a significant “diversity defecit” within historic preservation, in which the field has failed to adequately represent the diversity of the nation. While an individual site cannot bridge the immense gap in officially recognized sites associated with the history of white individuals and those associated with all other racial groups, any progress towards this goal is positive. Furthermore, Hinchliffe Stadium’s status as a National Historic Landmark, as well as the only stadium in the boundaries of a National Park, elevates the significance of the building and its stories and ensures that a wide audience can interact with it. Kaufman also discusses the “invisibility” of many elements of the history of many minority groups. He continues by explaining that even sometimes when buildings associated with these groups are saved, their story is not adequately told. At Hinchliffe Stadium, the inclusion of exhibit space in the rehabilitation plans ensures that the stadium’s story, and its significance in Black history, will be shared.    

Additionally, as preservation seeks to branch out and incorporate more sites related to the everyday lives of ordinary people, places associated with sports deserve attention. This theory of preservation dates at least to William Sumner Appleton, Jr., and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Appleton and SPNEA focused primarily on homes, preserving the daily activities of everyday people from generations before. In doing so however, they failed to preserve surrounding structures, removing the surrounding context of the historic site, which impairs one’s ability to adequately understand the significance of it. Non-residential places, like parks, churches, schools, and athletic facilities, are important to fully understand someone’s life. For example, in Boston, where Fenway Park has stood since 1912, by examining its tight fit into the neighborhood, it is easy to see why the stadium, and the team, are so important to the city. Such will be the case in Paterson, where Hinhcliffe Stadium stands in close proximity to a school, homes, the Passaic River, and industrial buildings, a visitor will adequately be able to understand its significance in daily life. 

Recent rehabilitation work, incomplete as of yet, brings questions of authenticity and integrity to the property. Significant structural damage and subsequent repairs have certainly impacted the integrity of the structure, however new work has been done in a way that is respectful to the original design and materiality Furthermore, as the project seeks Historic Tax Credits as a funding source, all work done must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The property will retain its historic use as athletic facilities, distinctive materials will be saved, and historic features, such as the walls, are being repaired not replaced. Furthermore, and arguably more impactful to the authenticity of the site, the new construction being done “will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property.” Part of the new construction will be an addition to the existing structure, completed with a material that emulates but does not try to replicate the original material, thus being easily distinguishable. Additionally, the new structures being built are planned to be set back from the stadium and built at a scale that will not interfere with the spatial relationship between the stadium and its surrounding area.

Conclusion

The preservation Hinchliffe Stadium is a significant project to the past and future of historic preservation in the United States. As stated, the path of the project can be followed, almost as a timeline, through significant events, organizations, and protections in the history of preservation. It can also offer a roadmap for how to preserve going forward. Preservationists must focus not just on identifying historical sites representing diverse groups, but elevating them with exceptional distinctions and protections. We must incorporate entire built landscapes to the best of our abilities, in order to contextualize historic sites, without standing in the way of rehabilitation and development. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we must listen to citizens and community groups, to find the sites that they believe represent them and their lives. This is the model provided by the preservation of Hinchliffe Stadium, one that we, as preservationists, would be wise to follow. 

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