Early Baltimore Stadiums: Venable/Babe Ruth/Municipal Stadium, and Memorial Stadium

[MattD1972]

Earlier this week, the Metropolitan stadium thread got a bit off topic as some of us discussed Baltimore's last minor league and first modern major league stadiums, which were on the same site. I foundanother good shot and decidd to make it into its own thread, rather than have our good friends in the Twin Cities lose their thread.
Here's the earlier thread (Posts 105-112):
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=63341&page=5

This picture claims to be from a Colts game in 1953 - just before they added the upper deck.
http://www.lelands.com/LotImages%5C57888_lg.jpeg
Feel free to add Oriole Park shots as well.

[banko]

I forgot to thank you for the pics of Municipal Stadium.

They filled a large gap in my knowledge.

This forum is great. I recently posted that the only 'old-days' double-decked mnor-league parks were in the PCL (LA and Seattle).

And then some assiduous poster posts a pic of the double-decked field in Toledo.

Having been a PCL fan when it was an 'Open-Classification' league, and looking-forward to it becoming a third major league, I was as 'crestfallen' as my New York brethren when the Dodgers and Giants moved west.

Thx to great posters like you, I know have a vast knowledge of one of my favorite subjects...ballparks.

Now, in my 'declining years', I wish for only one thing.

A good pic of the home of the Vernon PCL franchise.

My understanding is that it was owned by Fatty Arbuckle (the silent-film comic actor), who moved the team there so as to allow gambling at the games.

It's the only park, major-league or AAA, that I haven't seen a picture of.

thx to you, and the other great posters here...and the owners of the great ballpark sites...and the authors of those great ballpark books...I now know these great 'cathedrals' intimately.

When I see the pics, I can almost smell the cigar smoke.

Ahhhhhh.

thx again.

[PeteU]

Thanks for starting this thread.

I'm wondering if those photos are dated correctly though; those pictures look more like Municipal Stadium than the single decked Memorial Stadium. I don't think Memorial Stadium ever had a running track around the football field.

Still, those pictures are great!

[Yogalito]

MattD1972,

Those photos are of Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Niners played there through 1970 before moving to expanded Candlestick Park. Stadium has since been greatly reduced in size, but is still used today. Photos are from AAFC era I believe.

yogalito

[PeteU]

Here are the pictures posted on the other thread:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2243/2509909013_fa8e6a3366_o_d.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2510741982_d2b8331374_o_d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/2510741936_19d52b1e57_o_d.jpg

[PeteU]

http://www.kilduffs.com/sports_53_Baltimore_MemorialStadium_1950s.jpg

This is a picture of Memorial Stadium soon after it was double decked and the Orioles moved in.

Note that they didn't add the inner wall yet, meaning that the outfield dimensions were huge.

Also, this was before they added extra field boxes, meaning that foul territory was also huge.

[Lpeters199]

Baltimore Memorial Stadium in color. Many pictures on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Baltimore%20Memorial%20Stadium&w=all