Oriole Park at Camden Yards, completed in Baltimore in April 1992, was among the first of the “retro,” fan-friendly ballparks designed to combine the best of America’s beloved ballparks (for example, Wrigley Field in Chicago or Tiger Stadium in Detroit, both built in the early 20th century) with the modern amenities baseball fans had come to expect.
Joseph Spear, FAIA, a senior vice president and founder of HOK Sport, noted that Oriole Park would be a “place where memories are made.” And several key decisions made early in the design process ensured the ballpark’s success: (1) to build the ballpark downtown, thereby making it a key element in the revitalization of the city; (2) to design it for baseball only, not as a multipurpose stadium surrounded by a sea of parking lots; (3) to use real grass, not artificial turf, on the playing field; and (4) to incorporate the 1,116-foot-long B&O Warehouse as a backdrop for right field. The arched brick and steel façade, the asymmetrically shaped playing field, and the large number of seats placed around the infield all contribute to the character, charm, and intimacy of this ballpark.
The project ranked 122nd (out of 150 structures) in a 2007 AIA poll of America's Favorite Architecture, and it received an AIA Honor Award for Architecture in 1994.