A renovation of Hinchliffe Stadium, former home to Negro League baseball in New Jersey, will move forward after the Paterson City Council approved a design and construction contract. It’s not a full renovation of the ballpark, which opened in the early 1930s and served as home to the New York Black Yankees and New York […]
Tag Archives | negro leagues
Birmingham reveals plans for new Negro Leagues museum
As promised, Birmingham is moving forward with a Negro Leagues museum adjoining Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League), according to city officials. The $2 million project, which has already received $400,000 in city funding, is slated to open in 2014. Organizers will need to privately raise the remainder of the […]
Nashville: Bring baseball back to Sulphur Dell
Planning for a new Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark has shifted from the riverfront to the old Sulphur Dell site, as Mayor Karl Dean is now pushing a mixed-use development. The Sounds has pursued a riverfront site for years as a replacement for Greer Stadium, though there was always sentimental support of […]
Want to live at a ballpark? Better move fast
The conversion of Indianapolis’s Bush Stadium to high-end apartments has been a resounding success, with 90 percent of the units already pre-leased before the August opening. Bush Stadium was the home of the Indianapolis Indians through from 1931 through 1996, when the team moved to downtown’s Victory Field. It opened in 1931 as Perry Stadium and was renamed Victory Field in 1942 to […]
Rickwood Classic set for tomorrow
This is one of the essential events of the baseball season: the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) are hosting the annual Rickwood Classic tomorrow at historic Rickwood Field. We’ve attended the Rickwood Classic in the past and had a ball, so we’d highly recommend the event for anyone who loves baseball in general and […]
Resolution expected in Birmingham ballpark-spending spat
A disagreement between the Birmingham City Council and Mayor William Bell over addition spending on Regions Field, the new home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League), appears to be settled after a compromise was reached yesterday. The issue: Bell proposed an additional $3 million in spending on the ballpark — to be paid […]
Debate emerges over Birmingham Negro Leagues museum
When the new home of the Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) opens next spring, a planned museum honoring Negro League history won’t be open — though it is fully funded. The issue: how to program the museum in the face of criticism from Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick, who says the world doesn’t […]
Bush Stadium renovations continue
Construction on the conversion of Bush Stadium, the former home of the Indianapolis Indians (Class AAA; International League), continues, with the old ballpark transitioning to an apartment complex. The $13-million project will convert the old grandstand to apartments, with office space built in the old outfield area. The infield, light stanchions, the press box and […]
Hinchliffe Stadium up for National Historic Landmarks status
Hinchliffe Stadium, a classic ballpark once hosting Negro Leagues baseball in Paterson, N.J., could be saved from ruin if it receives National Historic Landmark status from the federal government. Currently Hinchliffe Stadium is in pretty rough shape; elements and vandals have done a job on the Art Deco sporting facility. There have been several attempts to […]
Hamtramck Stadium receives historic designation
Hamtramck Stadium in Detroit, once home to the Detroit Stars of the Negro National League, has received designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Built by businessman John Roesink in 1930 as the home of the Stars, the ballpark still exists but isn’t used for baseball. However, the original grandstand (enhanced in 1940 with WPA […]
Barons: We’ll be playing at new ballpark in ’13
It seems a little hurried to us, but Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) management says they’ll be ready to play at a new downtown ballpark next season. It’s an issue constantly being addressed by GM Jonathan Nelson: whether Regions Field will be open for play next April. The answer is yes. “There’s still an […]
Mustangs: Let’s turn up the volume at Phil Welch Stadium
The challenge for the St. Joseph Mustangs (summer collegiate; MINK League) this summer: continue winning while pumping up the attendance at Phil Welch Stadium. The Mustangs are owned by Rick Muntean, a name that should be familiar to many in minor-league circles: he’s worked in affiliated and indy ball since 1983. He’s now living the […]
One benefit of new Birmingham ballpark: driving down open industrial space
Here’s one benefit to a new Birmingham Barons (Class AA; Southern League) ballpark no one saw coming: the downtown industrial real-estate occupancy rate went way up. In fact, the vacancy rate is down to a current 11.9 percent from 16.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, reports the Birmingham Business Journal. Causing the huge […]