PATERSON — Locals and officials in the Silk City are once again rallying to bring the New Jersey Hall of Fame to the Great Falls area.
About 100 people gathered at a “Halls for the Falls” rally Friday at the Rogers Building on Spruce Street, according to media reports and Councilman Andre Sayegh who helped organize the event.
“We think it will enhance the appeal of Great Falls Park, as it is people come take photos of the falls, go back to their cars and leave,” said Sayegh. “They don’t spend enough time and money in Paterson, and we want to generate money and excitement.”
Advocates of the plan say it will bring tourism, jobs and an educational resource to the city, according to their website.
The idea was first floated to move the Hall to Paterson in 2013. The New Jersey Hall of Fame, established in 2005, does not have a permanent home but instead travels across the state in a 53-foot, double-wide expandable trailer.
In 2015, advocates revised the idea by raising money for a feasibility study for the plan. That plan would develop a projected budget and analysis of how to raise the money for the Hall of Fame and two other institutions – New Jersey Inventor’s Hall of Fame and a northeast annex for Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Another institution – the NJ Music Hall of Fame Museum – has also been added to the proposal.
Sayegh said $10,000 has been raised to date, with $50,000 more needed for the
study. Organizers have approached Passaic County officials about raising the rest of the funds, Sayegh said.
Organizers have been in conversation with the Paterson Parking Authority to potentially house the museums at one of their sites, said Sayegh. That plan would be introduced in the completed study.
“They have not been dismissive and haven’t ruled us out,” said organizer Michael Symonds of the Hall of Fame’s reception to the proposal. “We are hoping to finish the study and have the tools to provide a really convincing case why Paterson should call the hall home.”
Sayegh said the group has recently received letters of interest from the New Jersey Inventor’s Hall of Fame and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
“We are optimistic,” said Sayegh. “We feel as if Paterson’s history and its diversity make it an ideal place to house Halls at Falls.
Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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