History
The city built Municipal Stadium on 33rd Street in 1922 as a football venue. When Oriole Park burned in 1944, the minor-league Orioles moved in, and the city rebuilt the stadium beginning in 1949, reopening it in 1950 and completing an upper deck in 1954.
The completed stadium welcomed the relocated American League Orioles in April 1954 and was the Colts' home for three decades until the team left for Indianapolis in March 1984. It hosted World Series, All-Star and NFL championship games.
After the Orioles moved to Camden Yards following the 1991 season, the stadium hosted the CFL's Stallions, who won the 1995 Grey Cup, and then the Ravens for 1996 and 1997. Demolition began in 2001 and was finished in February 2002; senior housing, a YMCA and a youth ballfield now occupy the land.
Why it matters: It was the stage for Baltimore's major-league return in 1954 and the Colts' championship era, and it was the city's main stadium for most of the 20th century.
Timeline
- 1922
The original stadium on 33rd Street was built as a football venue.
- July 1944
The International League Orioles relocated here after Oriole Park burned.
- April 20, 1950
The International League Orioles played the first game in the rebuilt stadium; the upper deck was completed in 1954.
- April 15, 1954
The relocated major-league Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 before more than 46,000 fans.
- October 6, 1991
The Orioles lost 7-1 to Detroit before moving to Camden Yards.
- 1995Stallions win Grey Cup[1]
The CFL's Baltimore Stallions won the Grey Cup during their second and final season at the stadium.
- 1997
The Ravens finished their second season here before moving to their new stadium at Camden Yards in 1998.
- February 15, 2002Demolition completed[3]
Demolition, begun in 2001, was completed.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2,3] |
|---|---|
| Current use | YMCA facility, Stadium Place senior housing, and the Cal Ripken Senior Youth Development Field (completed December 2010) with home plate at the original location[1,2] |
| Surviving remnants | Concrete rubble (about 10,000 cubic yards) was used for an artificial reef in the Chesapeake Bay in 2002 (off-site); home plate was moved to Camden Yards in 1991[1] |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Teams & events
| Baltimore Orioles | International League · 1944–1953 |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts | AAFC / NFL · 1947–1950 |
| Baltimore Colts | AAFC / NFL · 1953–1983 |
| Baltimore Orioles | International League · 1954–1991 |
| Baltimore Stallions | CFL · 1994–1995 |
| Baltimore Ravens | NFL · 1996–1997 |
| Baltimore Elite Giants | Negro American League · 1950 · tenant |
| Bowie Baysox | Eastern League · 1993 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Official name | Baltimore Memorial Stadium |
|---|---|
| Other names | Municipal Stadium (1922); Baltimore Stadium; Venable Stadium; Memorial Stadium; Baltimore Memorial Stadium |
| Location | 1000 East 33rd Street, bounded by Ellerslie Avenue, 36th Street and Ednor Road, Baltimore, Maryland[1,2] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Baseball, Football, Soccer |
| Level | MLB, NFL, AAFC, CFL, Minor League, NASL, NCAA |
| Opened | 1922[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1997[1,3] |
| Demolished | 2001 – February 15, 2002[1,2,3] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 31,000[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 54,000[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | The 1922 football stadium reportedly held 70,000-80,000. The rebuilt 1950 single deck held about 31,000 (Ballparks of Baseball facts list 20,000 original vs 31,000 in its text); final capacity listed as 54,000 by Ballparks of Baseball. Wikipedia's infobox cites attendance figures, not capacities. |
| Architect | Pleasants Pennington and Albert W. Lewis (1922 stadium); Ballparks of Baseball lists Kooken Company for the rebuilt stadium[1] |
| Construction cost | $6.5 million (1953-54 rebuild)[1,2] |
| Surface | Grass[2] |
| Owner / operator | City of Baltimore (Board of Park Commissioners operated the original stadium); Maryland Stadium Authority managed it for the Ravens 1996-1997 |
| Closure | Replaced by Oriole Park at Camden Yards (1992) for baseball and the Ravens' new stadium at Camden Yards (1998) for football. |
Documented details
- A small plane crashed into the upper deck on December 19, 1976, minutes after an NFL playoff game; four people suffered light injuries.[1]
- Home plate was dug up and moved to Camden Yards on the day of the final Orioles game; a youth field built on the site in 2010 places home plate at the original location.[1]
Connected venues
Sources
- Memorial Stadium (Baltimore), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, current land use, demolished, events, opened, remnants, teams
- Memorial Stadium, Ballparks of Baseball. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened, surface
- Maryland Stadium Authority - Maryland Manual On-Line, Maryland State Archives. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, demolished, teams
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (4)
- Demolition: Wikipedia says demolition began April 2001 and took about 10 months; Ballparks of Baseball lists 'February 2001'; Maryland Manual says demolition began in 2001 and was completed 2002-02-15.
- Final Orioles game: Ballparks of Baseball facts list 1991-09-30 but its text and Wikipedia give 1991-10-06.
- Ballparks of Baseball says the Colts left after the 1984 season; Wikipedia says they left in March 1984 after the 1983 season.
- Original 1950 capacity: 20,000 (Ballparks of Baseball facts) vs about 31,000 (Wikipedia and Ballparks of Baseball text).
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