The first "downtown retro" ballpark was the minor league Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo, which opened four years earlier and was designed by HOK Sport, the same architecture firm that designed Camden Yards.
The success of the retro-style Camden Yards sparked a trend in other cities of constructing more traditional, fan-friendly ballparks in downtown locations. Prior to Camden Yards, the predominant design trend of stadiums was symmetrical dual-purpose " concrete doughnuts " located in the suburbs. The Orioles' previous home, Memorial Stadium , was a "concrete doughnut" [3] although not in the suburbs, it was well outside the downtown area.
Baltimore could have easily followed the old pattern, as the original design proposed by HOK Sport was very similar to the new Comiskey Park. However, at the urging of architectural consultant Janet Marie Smith, the Orioles turned it down, preferring a retro-style park. On June 18 , , 43 fans were injured in an escalator accident; one of the stadium's multiple-story escalators, overcrowded with fans heading to their upper-deck seats, jerked backward, throwing passengers to the bottom landing.
Exactly one year later, Eddie Murray blasted his th home runthere. Two orange seats stand out from the park's trademark sea of dark green plastic chairs. One, located at Section 96, Row D, Seat 23 in the right-center field bleachers officially known as the Eutaw Street Reserve sections , commemorates the spot where Murray's th home run landed.
The other, Section 86, Row FF, Seat 10 in the left field bleachers, was the landing spot for Ripken's th home run as a shortstop , breaking Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks 's record for the position. That home run was hit on July 15 , Ripken finished his career with home runs as a shortstop and overall.
Between —, the Orioles averaged more than 40, spectators per game, with a total attendance of 3. The lowest came on April 2 , , when just 10, fans watched the Orioles play the Tampa Bay Rays. Camden Yards is built at the former location of a major rail station; its name derives from the rail yards formerly on the site. Many seats in the stadium also have a good view of the downtown Baltimore skyline.
The stadium planners incorporated the warehouse into the architecture of the ballpark experience rather than tear it down or shorten it. The floors of the warehouse contain offices, service spaces, and a private club. The warehouse has been hit on the fly only once; Ken Griffey, Jr. The wall of the warehouse facing the stadium once held numbers that recorded the number of consecutive games that Cal Ripken, Jr. It elapsed until the 2,nd game, which was the last one of Ripken's streak.
It was later repeated for the countdown to Ripken's 3,th hit. The countdown to 2, was re-enacted on September 8 , , for the 10th anniversary of the breaking of the record, and "2," was put back up during the week of July 23 - July 29 , , as part of ceremonies to commemorate Ripken's entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Eutaw Street, between the stadium and the warehouse, is closed to vehicular traffic. Along this street, spectators can get a view of the game or visit the many shops and restaurants that line the thoroughfare, including Boog Powell 's outdoor barbecue stand. The drainage system automatically removes as much as 75, gallons of rainwater from the field in an hour. Following the season, the ballpark's infield and outfield were completely rebuilt, replacing the dirt, sand rootzone mix, sod and drainage.
The drainage system was modernized by utilizing an inlaid piping system topped by a fabric mesh and gravel to better protect both the pipes and the playing surface. Following the season, all new irrigation heads were installed and in , the warning track around the field was replaced. In , the sod was replaced with a sand-based blend of Kentucky bluegrass that is genetically darker in color and more durable than the version previously used at Oriole Park, giving the field a more vibrant green color.
For Camden Yards' first nine seasons, outfield dimensions were feet to left field, feet to left center, feet to center, feet to right center and feet to right. Prior to the season, in conjunction with extensive renovations to the ballpark's playing surface and drainage system, the Orioles reconfigured the ballpark with outfield dimensions that were up to 7 feet larger than those used since Camden Yards opened in However, it was found that the new dimensions did not significantly improve sight lines for fans, as had been anticipated, and adversely affected the viewing angle of the batter's eye wall.
As a result, the ballpark was returned to its original dimensions before the season. The changes included moving home plate approximately seven feet closer to the outfield, to its original spot 59 feet from the backstop. In addition, the entire field was shifted several degrees to the first base side and both the left field and right field foul poles were repositioned to their original locations.
The foul line measurements decreased from feet to feet in right field and from to feet in left field. The center field distance decreased from to feet and the deepest part of the ballpark, in left center field, decreased from to feet.
The shorter distance to the right field corner than down the left field line is compensated by a 21' high wall, which extends ' from the right field line toward center. The fence in the rest of the park is only 7' high.
Built between , the warehouse is the longest building on the East Coast at ' but only 51' wide. It has been preserved and now provides unique office space for the Orioles as well as home for the banquet facilities, the ballpark's central kitchen and space for ballpark operations.
The Orioles' main ticket office operates out of the north end of the Warehouse. The ballpark and warehouse are separated by a 60' wide promenade, an extension of Eutaw Street. Small circular plaques are found in the concrete along Eutaw Street, marking the locations where home runs have landed since the ballpark opened. Through the season, 39 different players have hit 57 homeruns which have landed on Eutaw Street 24 by the Orioles and 33 by the visiting team.
Luke Scott 's 6 homeruns are the most by any player in Oriole Park history. In addition, numbers representing the players whose uniforms have been retired by the Orioles are located outside the north Eutaw Street gates. Ballpark tours depart regularly from the Baseball Store on Eutaw Street. The Orioles Official Team Store, open daily, is located on the ground floor of the warehouse. When the Orioles moved to Camden Yards for the season, they brought with them the right field foul pole that had been used for 37 seasons at Memorial Stadium.
The foul pole was affixed atop the tall wall in right field in the Flag Court. Prior to the season, the Orioles replaced the original Camden Yards left field foul pole with the left field pole that had been used throughout their stay at Memorial Stadium. The foul poles were returned to their original positions when the ballpark was reconfigured to its original dimensions after the season.
On Veteran's Day , ground was broken at the south end of the Eutaw Street warehouse for a memorial wall to honor residents of Maryland who were killed in all of our nation's wars. The foot-tall, curving black granite wall features the well-known phrase from the Memorial Stadium facade, spelled out in the original stainless steel lettering: "Time Will Not Dim the Glory of Their Deeds.
A bench allows visitors the opportunity to rest and reflect at any time during the day or evening, and the memorial is illuminated at night. A dedication ceremony was held on Memorial Day, May 26, Covering 22, square feet and showcasing more than 10, artifacts, Sports Legends is an interactive, innovative tour of Maryland's sports heritage. The space includes exhibits on the Orioles, Baltimore Colts and Johnny Unitas, along with an in-depth look at the history of the Negro Leagues in Baltimore.
Other exhibits include Maryland's minor league baseball teams, college sports, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame.
Opened in , Camden Station had been unused since the 's prior to the renovations. In , the brand-new Baltimore Orioles franchise arrived at Camden Station from a season-opening series in Detroit for their first home game at Memorial Stadium.
Abraham Lincoln passed through the station on several occasions, once en route to his inauguration in , and also on his way to deliver the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln's funeral car also stopped there on its way to Springfield, Illinois, for his burial. As part of the renovations, the Gentlemen's Waiting Room will be restored to its Civil War splendor and will interpret Lincoln's passages through Camden Station, the Civil War, and Camden Station's role in America's transportation history.
Major improvements and upgrades have been made to the entire Oriole Park entertainment system within the past several years. Prior to the season, the Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority contracted with Mitsubishi to purchase a new video system for Oriole Park at Camden Yards, replacing the Sony JumboTRON video board and Daktronics matrix and out-of-town boards used since the park opened in The LED out of town scoreboard in right field features statistical information in addition to game scores.
The narrow auxiliary matrix boards along the club level and upper deck were replaced with LED ribbon boards, providing better definition, brighter images and wider viewing angles. In order to preserve the traditional feel of Oriole Park while providing fans with the most modern technology, the Orioles hired an expert design team to work with the Maryland Stadium Authority to deliver major technological upgrades while preserving the ballpark's historic aesthetic.
Phase two of the ballpark improvements were completed prior to the season and included major control room upgrades, new HD televisions throughout the ballpark and improvements in the coverage and quality of the ballpark sound system. The ballpark entertainment control room replacement allows the entertainment system to transmit a high-definition HD signal to the main and auxiliary video boards and further enhance the fan experience at Oriole Park.
The sound system renovations included new speakers in all, replacing those that had been in place since Oriole Park opened. To improve coverage and consistency of sound throughout the seating area, a number of additional loudspeaker positions were created. New speakers are located in the Upper and Lower Deck seating bowl, Club Level, Main Concourse, centerfield bleacher area and scoreboard.
The new system employs digital signal processing DSP that is significantly more advanced than what was previously used and allows a much greater level of control.
In other states, some municipalities have struggled to pay off stadium debt because the payments rely on tourism taxes that have shrunk due to the coronavirus pandemic. Baseball's return uncertain: It is uncertain when baseball may return to Camden Yards. The stadium authority referred such questions to Gov.
Larry Hogan. Facebook Twitter Email. Orioles, stadium authority consider new Camden Yards lease, allowing more year-round use.
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