Baseball icon Reggie Jackson teams up on Negro Leagues Baseball Museum hotel project

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is returning to his roots in Kansas City, but this time, he’s playing a different position. Jackson announced Wednesday he is now a partner and cultural ambassador for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Hotel.

The project is a major development near the city’s historic 18th and Vine District and will include an expanded 30,000-square-foot museum, a 132-room boutique hotel, housing, and the restoration of the historic Paseo YMCA. The YMCA is birthplace of the Negro National League.

“This is not a development deal. This is an opportunity to create economic vitality in an area that deserves it,” said Michael Collins, founder of Grayson Capital, the development company behind the project.

Reggie Jackson, known as “Mr. October,” is a Hall of Fame outfielder and recognized as an icon in baseball history. Jackson’s Major League Baseball career began in the city, playing for the Kansas City Athletics at the Municipal Stadium in 1967. A 14-time All-Star and five-time World Series Champion, Jackson hit 563 career home runs and was named World Series MVP twice. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.

The effort is a personal one for Jackson, whose father, Martinez Jackson, played in the Negro Leagues for the Newark Eagles.

“I’m interested in what it was, but I’m way more interested in what it can be for our community,” Jackson said. “So if I can be part of that, I’m absolutely thrilled to be.”

Standing inside the current Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Jackson reflected on the city’s impact on his life and how segregation shaped his early years in professional baseball.

“You know, I looking for a hotel because it was racial here and segregation here, and so I had to go to the Muehlebach,” Jackson said. “I was walking there and police officers stopped me and asked what I was doing, and gave me a ride to the hotel. So, memories are good. I had a great start here, and to come back here and be a part of it, it’s a good memory, it’s a good feel.”

Leaders behind the project say it’s about more than just bricks and mortar, but restoring pride and economic power to a cultural cornerstone.

“When we lost the Negro Leagues, we lost that spark that drove, that catalyst that drove Black commerce in so many urban communities,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

As part of the hotel and museum expansion, Jackson will help champion a vision to restore the 18th and Vine District to its original glory and the growth of local businesses.

“I’ve watched Reggie Jackson since 1978, and he’s always been a great role model, done a lot of great things for a lot of communities, and this is really great,” said fan Mike Holmes, who came to see the announcement.

Jackson emphasized the importance of the timing, as Kansas City experiences a cultural and sports resurgence.

“You have the Kansas City Royals moving, you have the Negro Museum moving,” Jackson said. “My focus is really to try to be a part of that, to help this community.”

Construction will begin once the full design is finalized, according to Grayson Capital.

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