Jackie Robinson is an icon. A legend and someone who will always be remembered beyond his achievements in baseball. To us, he’s an extra special person as he is a part of the fabric of New York. While the Brooklyn Dodgers have been gone for a while and Jackie is no longer around, we will never forget him, the #42 and everything he did for the game and the City of New York. Now, he’s memorialized. Officially.
While it took a long 14 years to happen, the highly anticipated Jackie Robinson Museum finally opened at 75 Varick Street in Hudson Square. The 19,380-square-foot space was designed by architecture firm Gensler and features a permanent exhibition space, a classroom and rotating galleries that play host to 40,000 historical images and over 4,000 artifacts that celebrate the late Robinson, who was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.
The Jackie Robinson Museum seeks to bring people from all walks together to commune and appreciate each other’s humanity and diverse experiences. They created a forum for debate and discussion, reflecting the ways in which we as a society can make progress by working together to solve difficult social issues and by appreciating how one life can make a difference.
The museum celebrates the enduring legacy of one of the most important Americans of the 20th century, chronicling his trailblazing achievements against the backdrop of United States history. Invoking Robinson’s role as a champion for racial, social, and economic equality, the Museum’s programming places an emphasis on dialogue around critical issues that continue to challenge our society.
Among the many items on display will be the Presidential Medal of Freedom that Robinson received in 1984, his United States Army uniform and an original Baseball Hall of Fame plaque. It’s something brand new to our town and we are excited to celebrate and honor Jackie.
For more information, visit jackierobinsonmuseum.org.