Business & Tech

Historic Baseball Field at Center of Public Rec Facility on Gibbons Property

Cardinal Gibbons gymnasium retained as part of St. Agnes development plans.

A historic baseball field will be the centerpiece of a multi-use public recreational facility on the former Cardinal Gibbons property.

The facility along the eastern side of the property will include a reconfigured multipurpose athletic field for football, soccer and lacrosse, basketball courts, and a baseball field developed by the Cal Ripken Foundation that re-creates home plate when a century ago as a student at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, said William Greskovich, the hospital's vice president of operations and capital projects.

"Preserving this baseball field is very important to us," Greskovich said. "It just seems to be the right thing to do."

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Ruth spent his , where, at 7, he came under the custody of Catholic missionaries who ran the boarding school and orphanage. He spent a dozen years at St. Mary's, developing baseball skills that made him a living legend.

When Ruth attended St. Mary's, home plate was typically located in the present-day outfield, closer to the Industrial Arts building where he was trained in the arts of shirtmaking.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

While the fate of the Industrial Arts building is still unknown, the former Cardinal Gibbons gymnasium is one structure that St. Agnes plans on preserving, and may be adapted for future recreational activities envisioned for the property, Greskovich said.

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is a nonprofit organization that develops youth development baseball parks across the country, with the goal of establishing 50 parks in total.

"The whole idea of these fields is to give kids a clean, safe place to play," said foundation spokesperson Carrie Lebow.

The foundation's first park was in the Ripken hometown of Aberdeen, MD, and opened in 2005, according to the organization. A second park opened on Memorial Field, the location of the former baseball stadium on 33rd Street in Baltimore.

Youth development parks have opened in Richmond, VA, Houston and Fredericksburg, VA. Parks are presently under development in Annapolis, in Park Heights and at Patterson Park in Baltimore City, Harrisburg, PA, Bridgeport, CT, Naples, FL, and Springfield, MA, according to the foundation.

In each case, the Ripken Foundation partners with local organizations to program activities and manage the facilities on an on-going basis, Lebow explained.

The Y of Central Maryland is partner for the youth development park at Memorial Field, while the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore City is partner for the facility in Park Heights.

Greskovich said that a partner for the Cardinal Gibbons facility has not yet been identified, although the hospital has spoken with the Y of Central Maryland.

"Our vision is to involve somebody who is already active in this area," Greskovich said. "The Y at this point hasn't expressed an interest."

The historical nature of the baseball fields will set the project apart from other Ripken Foundation parks, Lebow said.

"This one is a little different for us," she said.

When completed, the field will not only serve as a highlight of a new recreational facility for the communities of Southwest Baltimore, but will likely become a landmark for baseball fans.

"The thing that seems to resonate with everybody is reconstructing this historic field, allowing people to step up to home plate where the Babe swung at a ball for the first time," Greskovich said. "It really is an exciting project."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Arbutus