PATERSON — The trees and shrubs growing from Hinchliffe Stadium’s crumbling grandstand sparkled with springtime green as officials on Wednesday conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the reconstruction of the historic ballpark.
Mayor Andre Sayegh has touted the $94 million project, which also will include a 315-space parking garage and a six-story, 75-unit senior citizen apartment building, as being crucial to Paterson’s revitalization efforts. The rebuilt stadium would have 7,800 seats.
Three former major league baseball players — Harold Reynonds, CC Sabathia and Willie Randolph — attended the ceremony in tribute to Hinchliffe’s national landmark status as one of the last two ballparks still standing from the segregated Negro Leagues of the mid-20th century.