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MLB Power Rankings: Top 30 stadiums of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

Aug 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The sun sets over Wrigley Field during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; The sun sets over Wrigley Field during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 8: General view of the last opening day of the Baltimore Orioles baseball game on April 1, 1991 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – APRIL 8: General view of the last opening day of the Baltimore Orioles baseball game on April 1, 1991 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

25. Memorial Stadium

  • Year Opened: 1949
  • Year Demolished: 2002
  • Capacity: 53,371
  • Defining Features: iconic Memorial facade

Memorial Stadium had been in operation under different names for decades before it was upgraded in an attempt to lure an MLB team to Baltimore in the 1950s. The original structure was built in 1921, and was home to professional football teams, minor league baseball teams, and college athletics for years. The minor league Orioles of the International League were so popular and successful that Baltimore went all in to attract the St. Louis Browns to move east. For some reason, Baltimore may have been a part of more controversial team relocations than any other city in America.

The new Memorial Stadium was an immediate hit with sports fans in Baltimore. They were so crazy for the Colts that the stadium was dubbed the “World’s Largest Outdoor Insane Asylum.” Orioles fans were just as crazy, and the O’s were MLB’s best team for most of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. With Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, and Cal Ripken leading the way, the Orioles and the Oriole Way defined consistent excellence, and it all went down at Memorial Stadium.

It’s hard to believe that at the time the move downtown to Camden Yards was announced that the citizens of Baltimore initially rebelled. Memorial Stadium would be used on and off for a decade, but was eventually demolished. Today, its former site is home to a youth baseball field and several apartment buildings.

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