Community input sought for Municipal Stadium preservation push in Lawrence

East Lawrence residents are being asked to weigh the future of Municipal Stadium, where a preservation push now turns on a June 7 listening session and a broader decision about how Hobbs Park should be used in the years ahead. The project is not just about saving a ballfield. It is about whether one of Lawrence’s most recognizable neighborhood landmarks stays centered on recreation, becomes a preserved historic site or is reshaped for new public uses.

The Municipal Stadium in Hobbs Park Legacy Project plans to update the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Advisory Board as it continues its effort to win historic preservation status. Andrew Stockmann, curator of exhibitions at the Watkins Museum and leader of the project, said the group has already drafted the National Register nomination and wants to make sure the paperwork is in good order before moving ahead. The short-term goal is a National Register of Historic Places nomination, with an estimated application cost of about $15,000 and a timeline of roughly 15 months.

What happens next could shape both funding and design choices. Project materials say long-term goals include using historic rehabilitation tax credits and grants to revitalize the stadium, along with a Historic Structures Report to examine the concrete seating bowl. That report would help determine how renovations should be approached and what future uses might fit the site, including whether original features such as in-ground dugouts and a concession stand could return. The stadium is still used weekly by the Kaw Valley Kickball League and has served as a community gathering place for more than 75 years.

The city already describes Hobbs Park as more than a single athletic field. Along with Municipal Stadium, the park includes a playground, picnic shelter and basketball court. It also includes the Murphy-Bromelsick house, also known as the John Speer Farmstead Site, adding another layer to any discussion about how the area should be preserved and programmed.

The ballpark’s history is a major part of the case for preservation. Douglas County Community Foundation materials say the stadium was built in 1947 and hosted the Kansas City Monarchs, while project materials tie the site to the New York Black Yankees, the House of David barnstorming team and American Legion teams whose players later included John Hadl and Steve Jeltz. City materials say more than 30,000 spectators attended 55 games in the stadium’s first season, and a 2004 mural on the exterior commemorates East Lawrence history and the ballfield’s place in it.

The effort already has some backing. The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted 5-0 in March 2025 to support the National Register proposal, and local groups had pledged about half the application funding. Support has also come through a public-private partnership involving the City of Lawrence Parks, Recreation and Culture department, the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association, the Kaw Valley Kickball League and the Shelley Miller Charitable Trust. If the listening session brings in more East Lawrence voices, it could help decide whether Municipal Stadium remains mainly a neighborhood ballfield, gains landmark status, or becomes something more expansive for the city’s future.