hinchliffe stadium

Hinchliffe Stadium, located in a post-industrial urban New Jersey city, has a rich past in sports and history. Built at the very beginning of the Great Depression in 1932, the large oval-shaped structure boasted a classical style and white walls with red terra cotta roofing. “City” Stadium fit 10,000 spectators and many different sporting events such as baseball, football, track meets, auto racing, and boxing, as well as the occasional entertainment or music event. Hinchliffe is most known for its involvement in professional black sports, specifically baseball. Many black athletes came and played in this structure when they were not allowed in places such as the major leagues. This is one of the last stadiums still standing that catered to Negro League baseball. The New York Black Yankees called Hinchliffe home for many years. Famous athletes such as Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige passed through its halls, and Hall of Famer Larry Doby grew up playing high school football and baseball on its field.

The stadium gave down-on-their-luck citizens a place to go and enjoy themselves in the middle of a city fallen on hard times. It’s popularity reached into the fifties, and was eventually passed on to the city school system in 1964 and received a slight enlargement. Semi-pro football and international soccer used the structure for a short amount of time, but the stadium had fallen into disrepair. In 1997, Hinchliffe Stadium was closed for all usage, even high school athletics. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, and local groups have formed rallying for its return to former glory. Currently plans are on the table to make Hinchliffe Stadium the cornerstone to a large sports business academy affiliated with the school district and to tie it in with the historic Great Falls area located directly across from the stadium.