|
|
MEMORIAL STADIUM
|
|
 |
BALTIMORE, MD
|
|
Throughout its
existence, Memorial Stadium was home to some excellent
teams and player. The Baltimore Orioles
(originally a minor league team) played at Oriole Park until 1944
when the park burned. The team then moved into Municipal
Stadium (also called Babe Ruth Stadium) until 1949. In 1949, the
City of Baltimore decided to build a partial stadium at a cost of $2.5 million on the
site of old Municipal Stadium. A single deck concrete grandstand
with no roof was completed in 1950 with 20,000 seats. The Baltimore
Orioles of the International League played the first game at
Memorial Stadium on April 20, 1950. In hope of luring a major
league baseball team to Baltimore, a $6 million bond was
issued to improve the stadium. An upper deck without a roof and new
seats were added. The capacity increased from 20,000 to 47,700. By
1953, the Baltimore Colts (NFL) began playing at Memorial Stadium.
Prior to the 1954 season, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore
and became the Orioles. The first Major League Baseball game at
Memorial Stadium was on April 15, 1954. The stadium took a rounded
horseshoe appearance and the second tier spanned the inside of the
horseshoe, stretching from the third-base side around to just beyond
the first-base side. A "Gunther" scoreboard with a Longines clock
was added in right field. A hedge initially
served as the centerfield fence, but was replaced by a wire fence.
Outside, the facade was a reddish-brown brick, and the home plate end had a
tall concrete wall bearing an inscription honoring the city's war
dead.
Memorial Stadium underwent several expansions
and changes
during its existence. By 1961, 2,600 field box seats and new dugouts
were constructed at Memorial Stadium increasing the capacity to
49,000. The bullpens were moved from down the base lines to behind
the outfield fence. By 1964, the upper deck was lengthened, with two
sections added at both ends of the horseshoe. The seating capacity
was increased to 54,000
 for baseball and 65,000 for football. In
1970 a digital scoreboard replaced the original "Gunther"
scoreboard and wooden benches that covered the entire second deck
were replaced by chairs and metal benches.
Memorial Stadium was a
great place to watch a baseball game, but an terrible place to watch
football. During football season, the field was laid out so the
upper deck extended sixty yards from the end zone of the horseshoe,
past the 50-yard line to the 40-yard line where it ended on both
sides. Not only were quality seats missing, but along with the
obstructed seating, the "horseshoe" shape of the stadium was
terrible for football, because the 40-50 yard line seats actually
took fans away from the field. The Colts moved to Indianapolis after
the 1984 season and the Orioles were the only tenant at the stadium.
In 1985, a Diamond Vision video board was added in left
center field. Memorial Stadium offered beautiful views of the
landscape beyond the open-end of the stadium. In 1988 the Orioles announced plans to build a new ballpark in downtown Baltimore. The
Orioles last game at Memorial Stadium was on October
6, 1991 against the Detroit Tigers. The Orioles moved into
Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992. After the Orioles left a
minor league team played at Memorial Stadium for one year. In 1996,
football returned to Memorial Stadium. The Baltimore Ravens (NFL),
played at the stadium for two years. Memorial Stadium remained empty
until 2001 when it was demolished.
|
|
|
|
-Tenants:
Baltimore Orioles (MLB), Baltimore Colts & Ravens (NFL)
-Capacity:
20,000 (original), 54,000 (final)
-Surface:
Grass
-Cost:
$6.5 Million
-Opened:
April 15, 1954 (MLB) |
-Closed: September 30, 1991 (MLB)
-Demolished:
February 2001
-Dimensions:
309-L, 410-C, 309-R (original) 309-L, 405-C, 309-R (final)
-Architect:
Kooken Company |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
