Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Featured image credit: Baltimore Orioles
Populous is to lead the design team behind a major redevelopment of Baltimore Orioles’ Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The sports architecture firm’s selection was approved by the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) on Tuesday, according to local reports. Populous will now be the lead architect for approximately $400m worth of upgrades at the venue it designed ahead of its opening in 1992.
The Oriole Park redevelopment plan is being funded by the state of Maryland following the Major League Baseball (MLB) team’s decision to sign a new 30-year lease last year.
According to reports, Populous’ associate architect will be Adams Design Group of Baltimore. The MSA also approved a team called the Gilbane-WarrenBuilds Joint Venture to serve as construction manager for the improvements.
Oriole Park and sports tourism
The Orioles and Governor Moore in February 2023 announced a joint commitment to develop and revitalise the Camden Yards complex, which houses the team’s ballpark as well as the home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium.
The Orioles and Governor Wes Moore pledged to create a long-term, multi-decade, public-private partnership to transform the complex into a magnet for sports tourism that leverages Maryland taxpayers’ investment in the property.
The announcement was made on the same day that a deadline passed for the Orioles to exercise a five-year extension to a lease deal to play at Oriole Park. The Orioles have played at Oriole Park since the stadium opened in 1992.
Under legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2022, the complex is poised for a major overhaul. State legislation increased the cap on Camden Yards Sports Complex debt from $235m to $1.2bn ($600m each for Oriole Park and M&T Bank Stadium), increased the cap on monies for debt service transferred from lottery funds to $90m from $20m, and stipulated that the term of any bonds issued could not exceed the term of the team lease where the money is to be spent. Given the current lease length with the team, it is estimated that $400m in financing, of the $600m, may be available for improvements.
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