Let me start this article by saying I’m not an architect, I’m not a builder, I’m not a city planner, and I’m not a columnist. I have no inside connections to the upper management of the Orioles, they certainly don’t come to me for advice, and I have no inside knowledge on the team’s plans for Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
That said, I am someone who knows South Baltimore and its neighborhoods well, a journalist who covers business and real estate in the city, a ‘big ideas’ guy for Baltimore, a huge Orioles fan, a stadium nerd who follows many stadium forums and blogs, and someone who thinks about ways to improve Oriole Park every time I sit in the stands or drive by the complex. So, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and add them to the conversation.
The team eligible is for $600 million in state bonds to improve Oriole Park if a stadium lease extension is signed. Orioles Chair and Managing Partner John Angelos said they “look forward to reimagining Camden Yards to deliver a live, work, play theme that will bring residents, businesses, and tourists to downtown Baltimore year-round.”
The team and Maryland Governor Wes Moore released a joint statement Thursday saying, “We’ve laid the groundwork for success, and progress is also being made on our vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.”
Here are some of the ideas I have to refine one of America’s great ballparks, integrate it better with the surrounding neighborhoods, make it a must-see attraction for anyone visiting Baltimore, and make it a better asset for Baltimoreans almost every day of the year.
Eliminating Sections of the Upper Deck Left Field
The upper deck left field seats have only been open for two games this year. This creates views of completely empty sections on television on every camera angle behind home plate or when the camera follows fly balls into left field. You always want the stadium to look as full as possible on television, including on the broadcast itself and highlight shows featuring the game. And homeruns always make the highlights.
Oriole Park is the seventh largest stadium in Major League Baseball (MLB) with a capacity of 45,971. Most new stadiums have a capacity of less than 42,000. Smaller seating capacity can create a louder and more intimate experience and more sellout crowds on the weekends could lead to more people opting to buy tickets during the week.
I’d like to see the Orioles eliminate the last three sections in the upper bowl and club level in left field. This would be sections 384, 386, 388, 284, 286, and 288. This would still keep some of the signature upper deck roof structure visible in the outfield, open up more skyline views, and make way for some fun ideas I have for the stadium and the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor located right beyond left center field.
This look of a partially-continued upper deck in the outfield and a lower deck that continues is a design in the right field of Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
