photo by: Bremen Keasey

The mural painted outside the old concrete stands at the Municipal Stadium at Hobbs Park in East Lawrence. A group hopes to get the stadium nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, with hopes historic status could help get grants or tax incentives to revitalize the stadium.

Several community groups are hoping to get the Municipal Stadium in East Lawrence’s Hobbs Park listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the hope that it can then qualify for tax credits and grants to “revitalize” the facility.

That’s according to a presentation set to be heard by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Monday night. City of Lawrence staff is currently involved in the effort, as are the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association, the Kaw Valley Kickball League, the Watkins Museum of History, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, Hernly Associates and the Shelley Miller Charitable Trust.

The groups are planning to nominate the Municipal Stadium to the National Register of Historic Places and the Murphy-Bromelsick House, on the northwest corner of Hobbs Park, to the Kansas Register of Historic Places. Nominating the stadium is estimated to cost around $15,000 and will take around 15 months, according to the presentation.

In the long term, the groups hope they can use historic preservation tax credits and grants to find ways to improve the stadium. They want to conduct an analysis of the structure’s concrete seating bowl, and are also interested in the possibility of restoring features that used to be at the stadium, such as a concession stand or in-ground dugouts.

As far as the stadium’s historic value goes, the presentation notes that the stadium has hosted games from several noteworthy teams, including the New York Black Yankees, the House of David barnstorming team and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, who played there against the semi-pro Lawrence Colts in August 1949. The stadium is still in use — the kickball league has been playing there for 20 years — and it is home to a large piece of public art: a mural on the bowl by artist Dave Loewenstein.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel.