Chicago Construction News staff writer
The International Women’s Baseball Center (IWBC) has received a major funding boost for renovations at historic Beyer Stadium, the former home of the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, led by philanthropist and New York Mets owner Alex Cohen, has awarded the IWBC a $2 million grant, alongside an additional $350,000 contribution from the Amazin’ Mets Foundation.
In recognition of the Cohen Foundation’s lead gift, the green space surrounding Beyer Stadium will be named Maybelle Blair Park, honouring the 97-year-old baseball pioneer and IWBC founding director emeritus. Blair pitched in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948 and has since become a lifelong advocate for women and girls in sport. The Amazin’ Mets Foundation previously honoured her with its inaugural Legacy Award in 2023.
Other naming rights include the Cohen Bleachers and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation Press Box, both part of a broader slate of stadium improvements. Planned upgrades include new bleacher seating, restrooms, regraded playing surfaces, electrical and dugout enhancements, a scoreboard, batting cages, pitching areas, and foul poles.
“Maybelle Blair is a baseball trailblazer and truly in a league of her own,” Alex Cohen said in a statement. “In her honor, we are proud to support the International Women’s Baseball Center as they inspire the next generation of players and preserve the legacy of women in baseball.”
The IWBC says it now has sufficient funding to accelerate Phase One of the redevelopment, scheduled for completion in 2026. Designed by world-renowned architect Jeanne Gang, a native of nearby Belvidere, Ill., the project includes both stadium upgrades and the creation of Maybelle Blair Park.
The park’s centrepiece, the Women’s Baseball Gallery, will showcase commemorative pylons celebrating milestones in women’s baseball. Restoration of the stadium’s historic ticket booth, along with new walking paths and recreation areas, are also planned.
Another $1.5 million is coming from the City of Rockford and $400,000 from Illinois State Senator Steve Stadelman.
“We are deeply thankful to Alex Cohen and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and Amazin’ Mets Foundation for their generous donations,” said IWBC CEO Dr. Kat Williams. “Their support will make a profound and lasting impact at Beyer Stadium, Maybelle Blair Park, and throughout the Rockford community, region, nation and world.”
The IWBC envisions a three-phase, $30 million campus redevelopment to be completed by 2030. Phase Two, budgeted at $22.8 million, calls for a new activity centre and immersive museum overlooking Beyer Stadium. The $3 million Phase Three will install permanent museum exhibits, including a restored Rockford Peaches team bus from the Second World War era.
Since its founding, the IWBC has promoted women’s baseball through youth clinics, educational conferences, tournaments, film screenings and traveling exhibits.
More information is available at www.IWBC.org
