The first phase of the rehabilitation of Paterson’s historic Hinchliffe Stadium got underway Tuesday during a groundbreaking ceremony.

The stadium was once home to Paterson’s Negro League baseball team and has stood at the corner of Maple and Liberty streets since 1932. The stadium has fallen into disrepair.

The $1.5 million restoration project includes preservation and renovations to the stadium's facade, ticket booths, and decorative tiles.  Crews will also stabilize parts of the structure that have been undermined by years by water and vegetative damage.

Paterson Mayor Joey Torres, Rep. Bill Pascrell and others were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“I’m very proud to see that after 20 years we are finally able to initiate Phase 1 of a rehabilitation of this stadium,” Torres said.

The mayor said that he hopes that once complete, the stadium can be used by Paterson Public Schools and the community.

Hinchliffe Stadium is designated as a national landmark, the only baseball stadium in the country with that distinction.