Hinchliffe Stadium Is Nationally Recognized as "Best of the Best" in Preservation Projects

The renovation of Hinchliffe Stadium was a victory in itself for Paterson – and now, the Richard H. Driehaus Award is another victory for the city.

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On October 28, Hinchliffe Stadium was recognized nationally, as it won the prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award, along with other winners such as Barton Academy, a ‘temple to education’ in Mobile, Alabama, and the Journal Square Block in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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According to The National Trust for Historic Preservation, “The Richard H Driehaus National Preservation Awards recognize and celebrate the "best of the best" in preservation projects across the country— projects that highlight cutting-edge preservation approaches or technologies.”

Their website states the award criteria by which the nominees are evaluated, including:

- Impact of the nominee’s project or effort on the community, including economic impact

- Quality and degree of difficulty of the nominee’s project or effort

- Degree to which the nominee’s project or effort is unusual or pioneering, or serves as an example that influences others

- Projects of all sizes and scale— special consideration given to projects that use creative or innovative techniques to solve preservation problems and can serve as a replicable model for other projects.

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Hinchliffe checked every box, as today it seeks to be the place it once was— but better— with a parking garage, a senior housing facility, 7,500 seats, and a view of Paterson’s oldest buildings. The stadium remains situated next to School No. 5, which hosts its field day at Hinchliffe. It is also adjacent to Mary Ellen Kramer Park and the National Historic Great Falls.

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With its rich history and prime location, the developers saw the vision and knew the project had to be done.

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One of the developers from RPM Development, Bryan Verssahelt, a Paterson native himself said he loves sports and that Hinchliffe was part of a bigger picture for him. Verssahelt stated, "We had to keep the stadium exactly how it looked back in 1932. That was our biggest struggle to date— making it historically accurate."

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The partnership between RPM Development and BAW Development was monumental in the rebuilding of the structure, as they also sought to include an educational museum highlighting the overall history of Hinchliffe and the people who made it significant.

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The ‘Real Field of Dreams,’ as Mayor Sayegh likes to call it, is one of only two remaining Negro League ballparks and was once home to the New York Black Yankees and The New York Cubans. Today, the NJ Jackals have claimed it as their home turf.

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Hinchliffe Stadium: a field, a ballpark, an arena – but also a haven for African American baseball players who, at the time, weren’t allowed to play a simple game of baseball anywhere else.

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Mayor Sayegh said, “The tradition—you had race cars there, concerts, comedy shows, graduations. So many Patersonians received their diplomas on that field. Bringing it back is not only about restoring the structure but also about reviving those memories."