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Camden Yards
Home of the Baltimore Orioles
Constructed with a cost of $100 million, Camden Yards opened it's doors in April 1992. Under the architectural design of HOK Sport, Danobe Construction began building on the 85-acre stadium in 1989. Located just two blocks from Babe Ruth's birthplace in downtown Baltimore, Camden Yards centerfield is also the site at which Ruth's father once operated Ruth's Café.
At first, there was some dispute over the name for the new ballpark. Would it be Oriole Park, named after it's Baltimore Orioles tenants, or Camden Yards? After some deliberation, a compromise was met as the park was named Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Many memorable events have been witnessed at Camden Yards. Among them, the 1993 All-Star game was held here at Camden Yards. In September 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. awed fans by competing in his 2,131st consecutive game and, ultimately, breaking the record set by Lou Gehrig. The following year, in 1996, Eddie Murray hit his 500th career homerun. In addition, the only no-hitter ever pitched at this stadium was thrown by Hideo Nomo in 2001.
Fans visiting Camden Yards can enjoy a variety of amenities, including a cafeteria, gift shop, Orioles Hall of Famer memorabilia, sports bar and the Camden Club. In addition, fans can take a stroll on Eutaw Street, which is the site of cement imprinted bronze baseballs, which commemorate homeruns hit at the stadium. The design of Camden Yards has revolutionized the way that new stadiums are constructed. It's combination of steel columns, beams and trusses made it a classic and a capacity of more than 48,000 fans make it accessible. While concrete trusses, a brick façade, natural grass turf and an asymmetrical playing field may have granted Camden Yards a large impact on many new parks and their design, Camden Yards also had it's own influences, including Forbes Field, Ebbets Field, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
Fans can also enjoy regular tours at Oriole Park, including a close view of the suites, the scoreboard and control rooms, press levels and the dugout. Public tours are available 7 days a week with private tours available upon scheduling. During a tour, fans also enjoy a variety of other historical information along the way. For spectators who want an even closer look, perhaps a meeting with one of the players or coaches would suffice. Time permitting, baseball notables may sometimes be found signing autographs up until 45 minutes prior to the opening pitch. Bring a baseball cap, t-shirt and a working pen. Oh, and don't forget film for the camera to capture all of these glorious moments.
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