Baltimore Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium was launched as Municipal Stadium, also known as Baltimore Stadium or Venable Stadium. Designed by Pleasants Pennington and Albert W. Lewis, it was built in 1922 over a six-month period at the urging of Mayor William F. Broening in a previously undeveloped area just north of the city's iconic rowhouses. The stadium was constructed in what was formerly Venable Park and was operated by the city's Board of Park Commissioners. It was primarily a football stadium, a large horseshoe with an earthen-mound exterior and its open end featuring a large stone gateway of a Greco-Roman colonnade and porticoes on the open-faced south side facing the new 33rd Street boulevard. In this configuration, it seated anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000 people. In its early years it hosted various high school and college-level games, including the annual Poly-City Game on Thanksgiving Day. The stadium also hosted the Army-Navy football game and other major events. In 1944, the minor league Baltimore Orioles of the International League moved to Municipal Stadium mid-season after their previous home, Oriole Park, burned down. The Orioles drew over 300,000 fans that season, including a record 53,371 for a playoff game. This success helped convince Major League Baseball that Baltimore was ready for a major league team. The original stadium was demolished and rebuilt as a double-deck, multi-sport stadium, completed in mid-1954 and rechristened Baltimore Memorial Stadium. The rebuilt stadium seated 47,855 initially, later expanded. The St. Louis Browns relocated to Baltimore in 1954 and became the modern Baltimore Orioles, making Memorial Stadium their home. The Orioles won World Series titles there in 1966, 1970, and 1983, with legendary players like Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, and Cal Ripken Jr. thrilling fans. The stadium was also home to the Baltimore Colts of the NFL from 1953 to 1983, featuring Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas and Lenny Moore, and hosting the famous 1958 NFL Championship Game, often called 'The Greatest Game Ever Played.' After the Colts departed for Indianapolis in 1984, the stadium hosted the CFL's Baltimore Stallions from 1994 to 1995, who won the Grey Cup in 1995. The NFL returned in 1996 with the Baltimore Ravens, who played two seasons at Memorial Stadium before moving to their new stadium. The Orioles moved to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992, and the Ravens moved to M&T Bank Stadium in 1998. The stadium closed on December 14, 1997, and was demolished between April 2001 and February 2002. The site is now home to the Cal Ripken Sr. Youth Development Field.

Baltimore Memorial Stadium was affectionately nicknamed 'The World's Largest Outdoor Insane Asylum' by fans and sportswriters, a testament to the passionate and rowdy crowds that filled its seats. Two different stadiums occupied the site: the original 1922 Municipal Stadium, a horseshoe that seated up to 80,000, and the rebuilt 1954 double-deck Memorial Stadium with a final capacity of 53,371. The stadium hosted the 1958 NFL Championship Game, often called 'The Greatest Game Ever Played,' where the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in sudden death overtime, the first NFL game to go to overtime. The stadium was home to three World Series champion Orioles teams in 1966, 1970, and 1983. Cal Ripken Jr. began his record-breaking consecutive games streak at Memorial Stadium in 1982. The stadium hosted the minor league Baltimore Orioles in 1944 after their previous home, Oriole Park, burned down, and their success that season helped convince MLB to award Baltimore a major league franchise. The CFL's Baltimore Stallions played there from 1994 to 1995 and won the Grey Cup in 1995, becoming the only American team to win the CFL championship. The stadium's iconic wall featured a memorial inscription reading 'Dedicated as a memorial to all who so valiantly fought and served in the world wars with eternal gratitude to all who gallantly gave their lives for their country.' After demolition in 2001-2002, the site became the Cal Ripken Sr. Youth Development Field, preserving the baseball legacy of the location.