Janet Marie Smith returns to the Yard

One of the biggest hands in one of the best ballparks in all of baseball is back in Baltimore. The woman behind the design of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, former O's Vice President of Planning and Development Janet Marie Smith, has rejoined the Orioles in her former light, as she'll again serve as the Vice President of Planning and Development for the Birds. Smith is a renowned architect and urban planner who can list OPACY as merely one accomplishment on a long list of influence in the design realm, with her reach extending to the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, and the Turner Broadcasting System. In her initial capacity as the VP of Planning and Development for the Orioles from 1989 to 1994, she played an instrumental role in the design of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which in turn became a standard for new ballparks. O's fans can thank Smith for her sway in the creation of a retro, yet state-of-the-art facility that also blends with the urban context of downtown Baltimore, a pretty big feat and something visitors to Oriole Park don't fail to notice either. In her present capacity with the Orioles, Smith will oversee renovations at the Orioles' new spring training facility in Sarasota, Florida, as well as upgrades and enhancements at Camden Yards - so rest easy O's fans, you can feel pretty confident that the class and treasured tradition built into the very foundations of Camden Yards will carry on with Smith's return home to Baltimore.