Baltimore Memorial Stadium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Baltimore Memorial Stadium

"The Old Grey Lady of 33rd Street"
Memorial Stadium in 2000
Address	900 East 33rd Street
Location	Baltimore, Maryland
Coordinates	39°19′46″N 76°36′5″W / 39.32944°N 76.60139°W / 39.32944; -76.60139
Owner	City of Baltimore
Operator	Maryland Stadium Authority
Capacity	31,000 (1950) 47,855 (1953) 53,371 (1991)
Field size	Left Field – 309 ft Left-Center – 446 ft (1954), 378 ft (1990) Center Field – 445 ft (1954), 405 ft (1980) Right-Center – 446 ft (1954), 378 ft (1990) Right Field – 309 ft
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	1921 (first version) 1949 (second version)
Opened	December 2, 1922 (first version) April 20, 1950 (second version)
Closed	December 14, 1997
Demolished	April 2001–February 15, 2002
Construction cost	US$6.5 million ($79.1 million in 2022 dollars )
Architect	Hall, Border, and Donaldson
Structural engineer	R. E. L. Williams (building construction), Faisant and Kooken (consulting)
General contractor	DeLucca-Davis & Carozza/Joseph F. Hughes
Tenants
Baseball Baltimore Orioles (IL) mid-season 1944–1953 Baltimore Orioles (MLB) 1954–1991 Bowie Baysox (EL) 1993 Football Baltimore Colts (AAFC / NFL) 1947–1950 Baltimore Colts (NFL) 1953–1983 Baltimore Stallions (CFL) 1994–1995 Baltimore Ravens (NFL) 1996–1997 Soccer Baltimore Bays (NPSL / NASL) 1967–1968 Baltimore Comets (NASL) 1974–1975

Baltimore Memorial Stadium was a famous sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It was known as "The Old Grey Lady of 33rd Street." This stadium was special because it could host many different sports, like baseball and football.

The stadium was built on a large piece of land called Venable Park. Over the years, two different stadiums stood on this spot. The first one, built in 1922, was called Baltimore Stadium or Municipal Stadium. Later, it was rebuilt and expanded into the Memorial Stadium we remember.

History of Memorial Stadium

Building the First Stadium

Municipal Stadium in 1944, showing its old Greek and Roman-style columns.

The stadium started as Municipal Stadium in 1922. It was designed by Pleasants Pennington and Albert W. Lewis. The mayor of Baltimore, William Frederick Broening, wanted a new stadium. It was built quickly in just six months.

This first stadium was mainly for American football. It looked like a giant horseshoe. The open end had a grand stone entrance with Greek and Roman-style columns. It could hold between 70,000 and 80,000 people.

In its early days, it hosted many high school and college football games. Famous games included the "City - Poly Game" and the "Loyola - Calvert Hall" Game. The University of Maryland and the United States Naval Academy also played some of their big games here.

Becoming a Baseball Park

In 1944, the stadium became a baseball park for the minor league Baltimore Orioles. Their old park had burned down. The Orioles won the championship that year. Many people came to watch, even more than attended the 1944 World Series. This showed that Baltimore was a great city for professional sports.

Babe Ruth's widow, Claire, at a memorial event in 1955.

Soon after, a professional football team, the Baltimore Colts, started playing there in 1947. With both football and baseball growing, the city decided to rebuild the stadium. The new stadium would be called Baltimore Memorial Stadium. It honored the soldiers who died in World War II.

Construction began in 1949. The old stadium was slowly replaced with new stands. The minor league Orioles kept playing during construction. By 1950, the first part of the new stadium was ready. It could seat about 31,000 people.

Adding a Second Deck

The first Baltimore Colts team stopped playing in 1950. But people in Baltimore really wanted a football team back. In 1952, a group of business people worked to get a new team. They sold 15,000 season tickets in just six weeks! This helped Baltimore get a new NFL team in 1953, which was also called the Baltimore Colts.

With football back and rumors of a major league baseball team, a second deck was added to the stadium in 1953. This made the stadium much bigger. The total cost for all the upgrades was $6.5 million.

In November 1953, it was announced that the St. Louis Browns baseball team would move to Baltimore. They became the new Baltimore Orioles. This was a huge deal, as Baltimore had not had a major league baseball team in over 50 years.

The stadium was still being finished when the Orioles played their first home game in April 1954. Thousands of fans celebrated with a parade from downtown to Memorial Stadium. More than 46,000 people watched the Orioles win their first game, 3-1, against the Chicago White Sox.

Both the Orioles and the Colts became very successful teams. They were among the best in their leagues during the late 1950s and 1960s.

Why Teams Left

Even with all the success, Memorial Stadium had some problems. It was hard to get to because of traffic and not enough parking. Some seats had poles blocking the view. Many seats were just benches, not comfortable chairs.

The Baltimore Colts football team was the first to want a new stadium. They sold out every game but couldn't fit more fans. The owner, Carroll Rosenbloom, wanted a new, football-only stadium. He was unhappy with the stadium's condition.

In 1972, the Colts got a new owner, Robert Irsay. The stadium's problems continued, and no improvements were made. Irsay started looking at other cities for the team. In 1984, in the middle of a snowy night, the Colts secretly moved to Indianapolis.

Losing the Colts made it even more urgent to upgrade the stadium for the Orioles.

Community Concerns and Redevelopment

The homes around Memorial Stadium in 1991.

When it became clear that the Orioles would also leave Memorial Stadium for a new ballpark downtown, people in the neighborhoods around the stadium worried. They feared an empty stadium would hurt their area.

Community groups formed the "Stadium Neighborhoods Coalition" (SNC). They worked with the city to plan what would happen to the stadium site. They wanted public meetings and a promise from the mayor to pay for demolition and new development.

The Orioles played their last game at Memorial Stadium on October 6, 1991. After the game, a special ceremony honored past Orioles players. Home plate was removed and taken to the new stadium, Camden Yards.

For a few years, Memorial Stadium still hosted some teams. The Bowie Baysox, a minor league baseball team, played there in 1993. The Baltimore Stallions, a Canadian football team, played there in 1994 and 1995. They even won the Grey Cup championship in 1995.

Then, the Cleveland Browns football team moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Ravens. They played at Memorial Stadium from 1996 to 1997 before moving to their new home, M&T Bank Stadium.

After much discussion, the city decided to tear down Memorial Stadium. Many people protested, including former mayor William Donald Schaefer. The stadium was demolished between April 2001 and February 2002. Some of its concrete was even used to build an artificial reef in the Chesapeake Bay.

Today, the site of Memorial Stadium has Maryland's largest YMCA and a community for seniors called "Stadium Place."

A New Field for the Community

In 2010, a new baseball and football field was built on the site. It's called the Cal Ripken Senior Youth Development Field. Home plate is in the exact same spot as it was in Memorial Stadium. The field opened in December 2010.

Stadium Layout and Events

Memorial Stadium was similar to Cleveland Stadium in its design. It had a large playing area, especially in the outfield. Over time, inner fences and new seats were added. This made the outfield smaller and the stadium more friendly for hitters.

The stadium hosted many important games. It held the 1958 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was one of the few places to host a World Series, an MLB All-Star Game, and an NFL Championship game.

Stadium Incidents

Tragic Escalator Accident

On May 2, 1964, a sad accident happened on an escalator at the stadium. It was "Safety Patrol Day," and many schoolchildren were there for a free Orioles game. Hundreds of children got on an escalator going up. But a narrow metal gate at the top blocked the way. Children piled up, and one 14-year-old girl, Annette S. Costantine, died. Forty-six other children were hurt. An usher finally reached the emergency stop switch. The gate had been left there from a previous event, meant to control people going down.

Small Plane Crash

On December 19, 1976, a small private airplane crashed at the stadium. This happened just minutes after an NFL playoff game between the Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers had ended. The plane flew low over the stadium and then crashed into the upper deck. Most fans had already left, so only four people had minor injuries. The pilot was arrested for reckless flying.

Teams Hosted at Memorial Stadium

Baseball Teams

• Baltimore Orioles (minor league), 1944–1953
• Baltimore Orioles (major league), 1954–1991
• United States Congressional Baseball Game, 1973–1976
• Bowie Baysox (minor league), 1993

Football Teams

• Professional
  • Baltimore Colts (AAFC/NFL), 1947–1950
  • Baltimore Colts (NFL), 1953–1983
  • Baltimore CFL Colts/Stallions (CFL), 1994–1995
  • Baltimore Ravens (NFL), 1996–1997
• College/University/Military Academies
  • University of Maryland Terrapins (big games, 1920s-1930s)
  • Navy Midshipmen football (big games, 1920s-1933, 1935-60, 1986, 1988)

Soccer Teams

• Baltimore Bays, 1967–1968
• Baltimore Comets, 1974

Attendance Records

Seating Capacity Over the Years

Images for kids

See also

• Wild Bill Hagy