Historic East Orange park, once home to Negro league baseball, breaking ground on renovations
Renovations will include new bleachers, a shaded gazebo, a multi-purpose turf field and more.
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A historic park in East Orange is breaking ground on a makeover on Wednesday.
Oval Park on Eaton Place was once home to Negro league baseball in the 1940s. Legends like Satchel Paige, Larry Doby and Monte Irvin all played at the park.
Mayor Ted Green says renovations for the park are long overdue.
"Oval Park is rich with so much American and East Orange history — from the Negro League teams that once played there to the multiple sports leagues that at one time dominated youth baseball, track and field, football and basketball," Green said in a statement.
He says, "That park has bred greatness and produced top-notch talent such as current NFL players Jabrill Peppers, who plays for the New England Patriots and Rasul Douglas, a Super Bowl LII champion who now plays for the Buffalo Bills.”
Renovations will include new bleachers, a shaded gazebo, a multi-purpose turf field, more than 100 new trees, a rain garden and two new basketball courts.
Renovations should be finished by next summer.
