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Renovations begin Tuesday at historic Negro League ballpark in Hamtramck

Historic Hamtramck Stadium
Posted at 9:56 AM, Aug 03, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-03 09:56:38-04

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Renovations begin Tuesday on the Historic Hamtramck Stadium, once the home of the Negro League's Detroit Stars.

The renovations come after the Wayne County Commission approved an $850,000 grant proposal for the $2.6 million renovations.

On top of the grant, there is funding from the Detroit Tigers Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, Michigan Municipal League Foundation the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy and through an African American Civil Rights grant as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.

Detroit singer Jack White has also been a proponent of the stadium renovations. In 2019, he played in a charity baseball game to raise money for the stadium on Dan St.

The stadium was built in 1930 for the Detroit Stars of the Negro National League, and now it's one of just a handful of remaining Negro League-era ballparks left in existence.

“It tells this amazing story that some of the greatest athletes were not allowed to play against the major leaguers. They had to have their own league and what a shame that was,” White said.

Hall of Famers like Turkey Stearnes, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige and many other Negro League legends once played on the field.