The first-ever community center in Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange was officially opened on Monday, Oct. 27.
ORANGE — The new community center in Monte Irvin Orange Park has officially opened.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. presided over the official opening of the community center on Monday, Oct. 27.
The 8,580-square-foot building also will be named in honor of baseball Hall of Famer and Orange native Monte Irvin.
“When we started our initiative to re-imagine the community centers in our parks, it always was our intention to build a facility in Monte Irvin Orange Park which never offered its visitors a place to hold indoor programs. In the parks where we have built modern community centers, participation from the community has been overwhelming and we anticipate the same level of interest here,” DiVincenzo said.
The community center is located near the intersection of Central Avenue and Oakwood Avenue with the entrance being on Oakwood Avenue about 100 feet from the intersection. The building is 8,580 square feet and has a multi-purpose room that is about 5,000 square feet. There also is a warming kitchen, space for a police substation, an office and storage space. The restrooms are accessible from inside the building and from outdoors. If the building is not in use, access to the restrooms can be limited to just the outside.
“I am totally overwhelmed. Joe has extended this park and made it a glorious spot. I never thought I would see this beautiful building and to have my father’s name on it is amazing. Thank you so much,” said Pam Fields, Monte Irvin’s daughter.
A driveway in front of the building makes it possible for visitors to be dropped off at the front door and a covered entranceway will protect those entering the building from the elements. There is a parking lot that accommodates about 50 vehicles. In back of the building is a covered patio for outdoor seating and events. The existing parking lot entrance at the corner of Central Avenue Oakwood Avenue has been replaced with enhanced landscaping.
“It’s great to celebrate this opening and I think I’ve been to five of these events so far,” U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver said, referring to other community centers DiVincenzo has opened in other County parks. “This is an amazing space where you are lifting up the legacy of Monte Irvin and create space where people can thrive,” she added.
The new community center is designed similarly to recent community center projects completed in Cedar Grove Park, Watsessing Park in Bloomfield, Weequahic Park, West Side Park, the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in Branch Brook Park and the Sheriff Armando and Mary Fontoura Community Center in Independence Park in Newark, the Wally Choice Community Center in Glenfield Park in Montclair and the D. Bilal Beasley Community Center in Irvington Park in Irvington.
“This is a monumental event, to finally have a place for people to gather in the City of Orange,” Mayor Dwayne Warren said.
“This park and now this building are extensions of our backyards. This is what environmental justice is about – having places for people to gather, play and exercise no matter where they live,” Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said.
DiCara Rubino architects from Wayne was awarded a professional services contract for $522,900 to design the building and park entrance improvements. A publicly bid contract for $9,797,723 was awarded to Tsivikos Enterprises from Neptune City to perform the construction work. The project is being funded with grants from the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
“No on is happier and prouder of this building than the congregation of St. Matthew AME Church Thank you, Joe D., for this beautiful building,” said Pastor Melvin Wilson from St. Matthew AME Church.
Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park was renamed in honor of baseball legend Monte Irvin in May 2006. Irvin was raised in Orange, was one of the first African Americans to play in the Major Leagues and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. In addition, a memorial recognizing the valor of Orange Police Detective Kieran T. Shields was dedicated in April 2007. Shields lost his life on Aug. 7, 2006, while attempting to apprehend a shooting suspect.
The playground is currently being updated with new equipment and a new rubberized safety surface. The two baseball fields were updated with synthetic grass infields and natural sod outfields in 2024.
The formal gardens located near the Monte Irvin Statue were redone in 2021. The playground was modernized and expanded in 2016. Public accessibility into the park was enhanced in 2014 when new crosswalks, sidewalk ramps, pathways and roadway striping were installed on Oakwood Avenue.
At 47.63 acres, Orange Park is the sixth largest county park in Essex and is considered to be part of the original County Park System designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural firm. Property for Orange Park was purchased in 1897, making it one of the oldest county parks in the country.
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