Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, N.J., has received a prestigious 2024 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award, presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The restoration of the historic stadium was designed by Trenton-based architecture and planning firm Clarke Caton Hintz.
Hinchliffe Stadium is one of five remaining Negro League ballparks in the United States. It was home to over thirty Hall-of-Famers and served as the site for the 1933 Negro World Series. More recently, Hinchliffe Stadium faced triple threats against its survival: a historic venue of a societal period manychose to ignore; a vacant, outdated stadium which was economically ill-suited; and a severely deteriorated community liability, being a haven for homelessness and drug use.
Restoration of the 7,800-seat stadium includes an updated running track, playing surface, team facilities, and spectator amenities. A new restaurant and museum space will soon share Hinchliffe’s rich legacy and tell the untold stories of our nation’s segregated past.
It was a significant design challenge to modernizing a historic stadium, including current accessibility and egress requirements, providing necessary restrooms, field lighting for broadcasts, a new sound system, a digital scoreboard and other operational efficiencies. The architects were surgical in their designinterventions to maintain as much historic fabric as possible including salvaging most of the concrete walls and seating bowl.
“It is an honor to have the restoration of Hinchliffe Stadium recognized as a national model for historicpreservation,” said Michael Hanrahan, AIA, principal with Clarke Caton Hintz. “The goal was to create an educational opportunity for future generations to learn about this unfortunate past, so that we can continue to move forward collectively.”
As part of an overall $100 million redevelopment project within the Great Falls National Historic Park, Clarke Caton Hintz led the revitalization of the stadium using multiple sources of funding not only to preserve the site, but to transform it into a vibrant community space and economic driver. Minor league baseball, use by Paterson Public Schools, programmed events, and an on-site museum are designed to generate revenue offsetting ongoing maintenance costs.
“Hinchliffe Stadium is a national treasure and tells the story of the struggle for racial justice and American integration,” Andre Sayegh, Mayor, City of Paterson.
The National Trust awarded only 10 National Preservation Awards in 2024. A formal awards ceremony will take placeOctober 28 in New Orleans to kick off the National Trust’s 2024 PastForward Conference.
“In our continued effort to celebrate the power of place, we gather at this PastForward Conference to honor someof the most effective leaders in the field of preservation,” said Carol Quillen, president and chief executive officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Whether preserving and honoring African American burial grounds or repurposing a former newspaper headquarters into a thriving downtown center, the efforts of our 2024 awardees have activated meaningful sites to serve the public good.”
The 2024 National Preservation Awards recipients include:
- Richard Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award: Journal Square Block (Milwaukee, Wis.).
- Richard Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award: Barton Academy of Advanced World Studies (Mobile, Ala).
- Emerging Leaders Award: Dolly Marshall (Lawnside, J.).
- NTHP/ACHP Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation: Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument Designations (Chicago, Ill., and Sumner. and Glendora, Miss.).
- Trustees’ Award for Organizational Excellence: Historic Columbia (Columbia, C.).
- Trustees’ Emeritus Award for Historic Site Stewardship: Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (Birmingham, Ala.).
- John Chafee Trustees’ Award for Excellence in Public Policy: Former U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (Montpelier, Vt.).
About Clarke Caton Hintz: Founded in 1978, Clarke Caton Hintz is a multidisciplinary design firm specializing in architecture, historic preservation, planning and landscape architecture. It has won multiple national and regional awards, including numerous New Jersey State Historic Preservation Awards and Awards for Excellence from the American Institute of Architects. https://clarkecatonhintz.com/.
About The National Trust for Historic Preservation: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. https://savingplaces.org/.
About the National Preservation Awards: The National Preservation Awards include several of the industry’s highest honors, highlighting distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and corporations that give new meaning to their communities through skillful and determined preservation work.
About PastForward: PastForward is the annual conference of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Attendees include preservationists, advocates and architects, city planners and historic site directors, students and elected officials, commissioners, and main street directors. This year’s conference will focus on three themes:creating climate resilience through historic preservation, ensuring a representative preservation movement, and encouraging historic preservation-based community development. https://savingplaces.org/conference
