Jackie Robinson Museum

The Jackie Robinson Museum was originally scheduled to open at 75 Varick Street in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, NY in 2019. Ground was broken towards its construction at a ceremony held on April 27, 2017, in the presence of Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel Robinson, his daughter Sharon, and Commissioner Rob Manfred. Various factors pushed back the opening date until July 26, 2022, and the first public visits until September 5th. Among guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, in addition to Rachel Robinson, who had recently turned 100, were their two children, David and Sharon, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, tennis legend Billie Jean King, filmmaker Spike Lee, and former pitcher CC Sabathia. Just like the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, MO, the museum soon became a stop for teams visiting New York to learn more about the history of Robinson and integration.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation raised funds for the museum's construction and for an endowment to ensure its future operation, with a total goal of $42 million (in honor of Robinson's uniform number, 42). The building encompasses 18,500 square feet and includes a conference room and other educational resources in addition to a collection of artifacts.

The museum aims to memorialize the athletic and social achievements of Jackie Robinson by recounting an emblematic moment in sports history, when Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, permitting integration to take place at all levels of the professional game.

Further Reading

• Michael Charles: "Jackie Robinson Museum hosts ceremonial ribbon-cutting", mlb.com, July 26, 2022. [1]
• Mark Newman: "Robinson Museum breaks ground in NYC", mlb.com, April 28, 2017. [2]
• Juan Toribio: "Dodgers enjoy 'inspiring' visit to Jackie Robinson Museum", mlb.com, August 31, 2022. [3]

Related Sites

• Official site