Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: $25M To Build New Facility, BofA Gives First Million
Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 08:17PM By Barry Janoff
Rendition Courtesy NLBMMay 2, 2023: Calling it a strategy to “preserve and celebrate the triumphant story of the Negro Leagues,” the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum today unveiled a plan to raise $25 million to build a 30,000 square-foot facility in the Historic 18th & Vine District in Kansas City, MO, where the current Museum is located.
The new Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will be built adjacent to the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center.
The plan — called "Pitch for the Future" — was detailed by Bob Kendrick, Museum president, on the 103rd anniversary of the first Negro League game: May 2, 1920, between the Indianapolis ABCs and the Chicago Giants.
To jump-start the move, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum said it has been awarded a $1 million grant from Bank of America, whose relationship with the Museum dates back to the 1980s.
"Thanks to the generosity and continued support of Bank of America, the future of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum begins today," Kendrick said via the Museum. "Our growth from a one-room office to becoming America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has been an amazing journey.
“Now, we're building an organization that will continue to preserve and celebrate the triumphant story of the Negro Leagues but also fortify our position as one of the nation's most important civil rights and social justice institutions.”
The privately funded, not-for-profit organization was established in 1990 and is in the heart of Kansas City's (MO)Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum operates two blocks from the Paseo YMCA where Andrew "Rube" Foster established the Negro National League in 1920.
According to Kendrick, with help from the anchor Bank of America grant, the new Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, in combination with the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center, “will create a Negro Leagues Campus that will become the gateway into Kansas City's famed Historic 18th & Vine District.
“This will be a catalyst for economic growth in a vastly underserved, predominantly African American community.”
Bank of America’s support will allow the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to “expand programming, create dynamic interactive displays, house a gallery to showcase new exhibitions, feature a larger gift shop, and include a more expansive archival and storage space.”
Renditions Courtesy NLBMThe Museum said it had a record turnout of more than 14,000 visitors during Black History Month in February 2023.
The Museum currently shares its space with the American Jazz Museum.
"We share Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's mission to preserve and celebrate the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America," Matt Linski, president, Bank of America Kansas City (MO) said via the Museum. “Our commitment recognizes the importance — culturally and economically — of the 18th & Vine District to Kansas City today and we hope it will be an example for other funders to follow.
“Additionally, this grant is paramount to ensuring greater understanding and better appreciation of the many contributions African Americans have made and continue to make, including Jackie Robinson breaking the Major League color barrier."
Bank of America said it has invested in the Kansas City community more than $13 million in grants and sponsorships since 2020 as well as “capital investments to help small businesses, affordable housing, and other economic revitalization projects benefiting communities throughout Kansas City.”
Bank of America's relationship with the NLBM dates back to the 1980s with bank leaders having served on the original 18th & Vine Authority Board that established the district.
"We're building an organization that will continue to preserve and celebrate the triumphant story of the Negro Leagues."
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America.
In February, Sony San Diego Studio signed a multi-year alliance with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and iBob Kendrick to bring Negro Leagues stars to MLB The Show.
MLB The Show 23 features eight players considered among the greatest in Negro League history: Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Buck O'Neil, Rube Foster, Hilton Smith, Hank Thompson, John Donaldson and Martín Dihigo.
During Black History Month, MLB aired a new MLB Originals Series, Undeniable: Stories from the Negro Leagues, a “contemporary storytelling platform to amplify and honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues.”
Undeniable, which is MLB’s first animated series, will focus on three unique short stories from the historic era of the Negro Leagues, each narrated by Kendrick.
MLB The Show, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Honoring Players
MLB Supports Negro Leagues, Museum With ‘Undeniable’
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