NJ Hall Of Fame Permanently Moving To American Dream Meadowlands

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The New Jersey Hall of Fame will move to a permanent home at American Dream Meadowlands when it opens next spring.

The Hall of Fame has used a mobile museum for 10 years. The permanent home with be part of the $3 billion American Dream retail and entertainment complex.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday at the hall's mobile museum, which currently is at the former IZOD Center, near the American Dream Meadowlands.

"We are very proud to be the new home for The New Jersey Hall of Fame," Don Ghermezian, president of American Dream Meadowlands said in a news release. "The Hall of Fame museum will be a state-of-the-art facility that will showcase the incredible contributions and outstanding achievements of so many inspiring individuals that have called New Jersey their home."

Former New York Yankees and Mets pitcher Al Leiter, a member of the hall's 2017 induction class, will attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

"I'm grateful and proud of the honor that my HOF induction and legacy will be showcased alongside all the other New Jersey Hall of Famers at this fantastic new museum home at American Dream," Leiter said.

More than 140 people have been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame since it opened in 2008. The Foundation for the New Jersey Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization that selects the citizens they believe deserve recognition for making "invaluable contributions to society, the state of New Jersey, and the world beyond."

Some notable inductees include, the singing group The Four Seasons, journalist Connie Chung, and astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly.

The American Dream Meadowlands is a $3 billion entertainment and retail destination. It is scheduled to open in the spring after languishing in development for more than a decade under multiple developers. Current developer Triple Five has called "the most expensive retail project on earth."

American Dream's 3 million square feet will house some of the most unique attractions in the world, including the largest indoor ski slope in the western hemisphere. There will also be an ice-climbing wall and an an NHL-size hockey rink.

VICE media will open the world's first MUNCHIES food hall at American Dream. The 38,000 square-foot hall will have 18 vendors and "will be a platform for creative and diverse culinary talent."

KidZania, a miniature city run by kids 4 to 14 years old will also be there. It will have its own currency and companies like Honda, Sony, Kellogg's, Coca-Cola and others have sponsored businesses and landmarks in the attraction.

The DreamWorks water park and Nickelodeon theme park will be indoors and open all year.

The theme park will span 8.5 acres and feature attractions and rides based on Nickelodeon characters. It will have two record-setting roller coasters — the Spinning Coaster, the tallest and longest free-spinning coaster in the world, and the Euro-Fighter. It is expected to be the largest indoor theme park in the western hemisphere when it is complete.

There will be a huge LEGOLAND Discovery Center with a 4-D cinema, LEGO brick pool, rides, and classes for kids will be there. There will also be the first Sea Life aquarium in New Jersey. It will feature a tropical ocean tank with a walk-through underwater tunnel.

Related:

• KidZania Will Bring 500K To 1M Visitors To American Dream Meadowlands: CEO
• Aquarium, LEGOLAND Coming To American Dream Center
• 'Most Expensive Retail Project On Earth' Coming To Meadowlands In 2017
• American Dream Pushes Back Open Date, Secures $1.6B In Financing
• Huge Adult Arcade Coming To American Dream Meadowlands
• 2 World-Record Roller Coasters Coming To American Dream
• American Dream Meadowlands 'On Target' For March 2019 Opening
• American Dream Meadowlands Sets Opening Date

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: A artist's rendering of what American Dream Meadowlands will look like when complete. (Courtesy of Triple Five)