Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Baltimore, Maryland
Tenant: Baltimore Orioles
Groundbreaking: June 28, 1989
1st American League Game: April 6, 1992
Surface: Natural Grass

Architect: HOK Sport
Construction: Barton Malow / Sverdrup; Danobe Construction
Cost: $110 million
Financing: Special State Lottery
Owner: Maryland Stadium Authority
Seating capacity: 48,876

Playing Field Dimensions:
LF foul line: 333 ft.    (337' 2001-02)
LF alley: 364 ft.    (376' 2001-02)
Center field: 400 ft.    (410' 2001-02)
Deepest Left-Center: 410 ft.    (417' 2001-02)
RF alley: 373 ft.    (391' 2001-02)
RF foul line: 318 ft.    (320' 2001-02)

Height of Fences: 7 ft. in left and center, 25 ft. in right.

Hosted World Series: Never
Hosted All-Star Game: 1993
NOTES, FACTS AND FEATURES

When Camden Yards opened in 1992, it became the first ballpark since 1970 to feature ads on the outfield walls.

The one-time railroad center is 12 minutes west by foot from the City's Inner Harbor and only 2 blocks from the
birthplace of baseball's most legendary hero, George Herman "Babe" Ruth. Ruth's father operated Ruth's Cafe on
the ground floor of the family residence located at Conway Street and Little Paca, now center field at Oriole
Park.

Eutaw Street is the festive area located between the warehouse and the ballpark. Eutaw Street is open daily.
However, for evening games, Eutaw Street closes at 3 p.m. to the general public. At 5:00 p.m., it re-opens to fans
holding tickets for that night's game.  Fans who enter the ballpark on Eutaw Street between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.
are free to roam the bleachers and flag court in search of batting practice home run balls and to enjoy any of
the carnival type concession areas located up and down the street.

Boog's Barbecue
Located under the green tent behind the centerfield bleachers on Eutaw Street is Boog's Barbecue. During
virtually any Orioles home game, the former All-Star first baseman, Boog Powell, can be found signing autographs
and stirring up some of Maryland's finest barbecue beef and pork.

Fans strolling down Eutaw Street (above) might look for any of the following: the brass baseballs embedded into
the sidewalk marking the spot where home runs cleared the right field fence and landed on Eutaw Street; a
plaque to mark the spot where Ken Griffey Jr. hit the warehouse during the All-Star Home Run Hitting Contest;
the Orioles Hall of Fame plaques which are located near the north end of Eutaw Street; and, just outside the
North end of Eutaw Street and Gate H are the 4-foot aluminum monuments depicting retired Orioles uniform
numbers and the Babe Ruth statue.

The Camden Club is a spectacular dining and entertainment facility located on the top floors of the Warehouse,
providing a stunning view of the playing field. The club offers full service, elegant dining as well as a less formal
grille room.

The landmark B & O Warehouse, beyond rightfield, is the longest building on the East Coast at 1,116' (but only 51'
wide). The eight story building provides unique office space for the Orioles and other tenants including
Lippincott, Williams & Wilkens, CS&D, Barton Malow Construction, and the Maryland Stadium Authority. A 432-foot
home run drive will reach the warehouse if it hugs the rightfield line.

Ripken's consecutive game streak ends at 2,632 games on September 20, 1998

Eddie Murray's 500th career homerun on September 6, 1996.

Hideo Nomo threw the only no-hitter ever pitched here on April 4, 2001.

Banks of lights are mounted on the roof of the warehouse.

Double-decked bullpens in left-center field were the first of their kind in baseball.

-- ----------------------------------- --
Radio: WBAL 1090 AM
TV: WJZ-13, WNUV-54, CSN

In-park dining choices: Past Times Restaurant,
The Camden Club, Boog's Barbecue

Signature concession items include Barbecue beef
and pork sandwiches and Maryland crab cakes.

Baltimore Local Dining - Best Bets

Directions & Parking

Ballpark/Tour Vacation Packages
2006 Ticket prices

CLUB BOX $45
LOWER BOX $40
TERRACE BOX $27
LF LOWER BOX $27
LF CLUB BOX $25
LOWER RES $25
UPPER BOX $20
LF LOWER BOX $20
UPPER BOX $18
LOWER RES $15
EUTAW ST. RES $15
UPPER RES $15
LF UPPER BOX $15
UPPER RES $13
LF UPPER RES $9
STANDING ROOM $8

Seating Chart

Purchase O's Tickets
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Baltimore Orioles
333 West Camden Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
(888) 848-BIRD
In 1989 and 1991 respectively,  the Skydome and new Comiskey Park opened and were lauded as marvels of modern
ballpark engineering.  Only a short time later,  when Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in downtown Baltimore,
it not only revolutionized the way modern baseball parks were designed and constructed, it instantly antiquated
every multi-purpose and flavorless stadium in North America, including the barely year-old Skydome and Comiskey.  
It's arguably the most influential ballpark built since Shibe Park and Forbes Field (the first steel and concrete
constructed ballparks) were built in 1909.

 In the late 1980's, the Orioles started planning for a new baseball only stadium in downtown Baltimore.  Since
their move from St. Louis in 1954, the Orioles played in Memorial Stadium -  an aging multipurpose facility as well
suited for football as baseball.  But the Colts were gone and the Grand Old Lady on 33rd St. was showing her age.  
Governor of Maryland William Schaefer (the former mayor of Baltimore) helped push the plan through for a
baseball-only stadium in the state legislature. The plans also called for a football-only stadium next door and both
would be financed by a new lottery game. Construction on an 85-acre site (a one-time railroad center known as
Camden yards) began in June 1989 and would take 33 months to complete, opening on April 6, 1992.

 The Oriole Park design team, led by Kansas City's HOK Sport, also featured input from The Orioles and the State
of Maryland, which owns and operates the facility though the MSA.  Their result was the first of the so-called
"Retro" or "Neo-classic" style ballparks that followed later, and many still say the best.  State-of-the-art yet
traditional, warm and intimate in design--  It blends with the urban context of downtown Baltimore while taking its
image from baseball parks built in the early 20th century. Steel, rather than concrete trusses, an arched brick
facade, a flat roof over the upper deck, an asymmetrical playing field are just some of the features that tie it to
those magnificent big league ballparks built in the early 1900's that served as powerful influences in the design of
Camden Yards.


Iconic Moment:   September 6, 1995.  Iron Man passes Iron Horse.  With all the baseball world watching, Cal Ripken
Jr.  plays in his 2131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's all-time record.  His lap around the field is the stuff
of legends.

The good:   Without Oriole Park the ballparks that followed it in Cleveland, Denver, San Francisco etc., might have
taken their pattern from "new" Comiskey Park instead.
The bad:   Bad... hmmm... OK, bad... wait.... no... let me get back to you.
The ugly: Well, you asked for it-- my standard pet peeve.  They could've cantilevered the upper deck out a bit
further to improve the sightlines. There, I said it-- now back off, man!
The friendly confines of Camden Yards.