Jack White donates $10K to restore Detroit-area Negro Leagues ballpark
A campaign to begin restoration of Hamtramck Stadium in Michigan received a generous donation from White Stripes front man Jack White.
The Detroit native contributed $10,000 to the campaign, which was launched Monday by the Piast Institute and Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium. The goal is to raise $50,000 to restore the ballpark's field for baseball and soccer games ahead of a planned restoration of its grandstand, according to a post on the stadium's official blog.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation will match donations up to $50,000.
Opened in 1930, Hamtramck Stadium was home to the Negro National League's Detroit Stars and the East-West League's Detroit Wolves.
"Hamtramck Stadium is one of just five remaining locations where major Negro League teams once played their home games and represents a historic period in the Detroit community," said Gary Gillette, Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium founder and president.