28 Oct ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO OPENS FIRST-EVER COMMUNITY CENTER IN ESSEX COUNTY MONTE IRVIN ORANGE PARK Building is named for Baseball Hall of Famer and Orange Native Monte Irvin
Published on October 28, 2025
Orange, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. opened the first-ever community center in Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange on Monday, October 27th. The 8,580-square-foot building also will be named in honor of baseball Hall of Famer and Orange native Monte Irvin. The building is part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to revitalize the Parks System and provide facilities that meet the needs of the community.
“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 with 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. “This building is an attractive space and meet the needs of the residents for generations to come. I thank our Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund and the State of New Jersey under Governor Phil Murphy’s leadership for supporting this initiative,” he added.
“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.
“It’s great to celebrate this opening and I think I’ve been to five of these events so far,” Congresswoman 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.
“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. “This is an absolutely beautiful place. It is more than about open space – it is about creating a place with Monte Irvin’s name where children can see other people like them,” State Senator Britnee Timberlake said. “The view is breathtaking with the greenery of the park and the majesty of this new building,” Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin said. “This is a testament to the vision and leadership of County Executive Joe DiVincenzo. This is a home run,” said Assemblyman Mike Venezia.
“This is another park where I grew up and this community center is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a place where children can play and where seniors can gather. This means a lot, because public safety begins with community engagement and that is what this building is doing,” Sheriff Amir Jones said. “This is an amazing structure and it is a place that people can have pride in,” Prosecutor Ted Stephens said.
“Thank you, Joe, for being a great steward and for making Orange a partner in this project. This is a monumental event, to finally have a place for people to gather in the City of Orange,” Mayor Dwayne Warren said. “Thank you so much to County Executive DiVincenzo. This is a place where people will love coming together,” Orange Council President Adrienne Wooten said.
“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.
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.
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.
The new community center is designed similarly to recent community center projects completed in Essex County Cedar Grove Park, Essex County Watsessing Park in Bloomfield, Essex County Weequahic Park, Essex County West Side Park, the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in Essex County Branch Brook Park and the Sheriff Armando and Mary Fontoura Community Center in Essex County Independence Park in Newark, the Wally Choice Community Center in Essex County Glenfield Park in Montclair and the D. Bilal Beasley Community Center in Irvington Park in Irvington.
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.
Revitalizing Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park
DiVincenzo’s administration has completed several improvement projects in Monte Irvin Orange Park as part of a comprehensive initiative to revitalize the Essex County Park System.
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 August 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. In 2009, a soccer field with a synthetic grass surface was installed as part of a $1.1 million upgrade. A $1.2 million facelift to upgrade the park entrances, gardens, baseball fields and pond area was completed in April 2007. The basketball court and restroom building were rebuilt in May 2006 for $527,968. Modern equipment and a rubberized safety surface were installed in the playground in March 2004. The improvements were funded with grants from the NJ Green Acres program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 23 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, Treetop Adventure Course, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, a miniature golf course, golf driving range, six off-leash dog facilities, paddle boating, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. 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.
