And not just because the Rays, lately, have won a lot of games there.
Major League baseball owners had spent several decades building undistinguished stadiums off suburban interchanges surrounded by a sea of parking. Camden Yards — located near transit, sitting amidst decidedly urban architecture — was a real departure when in opened in 1992, although of course it has been very widely imitated since.
Camden Yards, buoyed by a great deal of state and local aid, replaced the 1944 multi-purpose Memorial Stadium. Located in Baltimore but outside the downtown area, the site of Memorial stadium is now a YMCA and a mixed income neighborhood with subsidized housing for seniors.