Proposed St Louis Negro Leagues Museum satellite gains key approval

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Plans for a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in St. Louis are moving forward.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen have approved a redevelopment plan and blight study.

Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Museum, joined 'Total Information A.M.' Wednesday to discuss what the approval means for a potential museum in St. Louis that would be located north St. Louis’ JeffVanderLou neighborhood.

The museum is part of St. Louis’ Chapter 99 Redevelopment Plan, which would bring the museum and over 30 housing and retail buildings to the neighborhood.

"It's another step closer to fruition," said Kendrick. "When the company and the young man who was behind the development effort there in St. Louis, looking at the north side came up with this idea about redeveloping the area, he approached us about collaborating with them to do a "satellite" version of the Negro League Baseball Museum which focused on St. Louis' rich black baseball history."

Kendrick says having a satellite museum is needed, especially in St. Louis, who has a rich history with the Negro Leagues in the city, from St. Louis Stars and Giants as teams and legendary players like Oscar Charleston, Willie Wells, Cool Papa Bell, and more play here in St. Louis

"You go back and look at the great black and brown stars who called St. Louis, whether they were playing for the St. Louis Browns, who people forget about and of course, the great St. Louis Cardinals," said Kendrick. "It's an opportunity to expound on that story and St. Louis is recognized as one of the great baseball towns in this country and so it's a prime opportunity for us to illuminate that part of its baseball heritage."

A potential satellite museum affiliated with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum falls also in line with the museum's plan to build a new $25 million museum campus .

"We are the national museum so we couldn't afford and didn't have the space to tell every city's story," said Kendrick. "So satellite exhibitions are a tremendous opportunity for us to do just that and I guess you can say, it's like being a Smithsonian affiliate with all roads leading back to Kansas City."