Latrobe Park Field House Opens in Locust Point
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks held a ribbon-cutting today for the Latrobe Park Field House. The new 1,665 sq. ft. field house is located directly behind Banner Field, taking the place of a former bath house that was constructed around 1904 and demolished in 2014.
The $906,000 field house, which was funded by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, includes men’s and women’s bathrooms, storage, and a partially-elevated concrete patio that can be used as a stage for bands. Baltimore City Recreation and Parks worked with Locust Point Civic Association (LPCA) on the project. The structure was designed by GWWO, Inc./Architects and DSM Properties was the contractor on the project.
The field house has two dark gray brick buildings connected by a rectangular wood ceiling and roof structure. The roof serves as a shade structure, but has an oculus in the middle to let through light. Monica Pascatore of GWWO told SouthBMore.com the oculus serves as the statement piece LPCA was looking for with the building.
The concrete patio surrounds the field house on all sides and serves as a walkway through the two buildings to the Banner Field bleachers.
The project has been in planning for three years and broke ground a year ago.
LPCA president Matt Farcosky expressed to SouthBMore.com the neighborhood’s excitement to finally have this project completed. It will provide essential storage for the park, new power outlets that will make running the Locust Point Festival easier, and bathrooms so park visitors no longer have to use the facilities at the Locust Point Recreation Center.
LPCA is planning to host a concert series this summer using the field house patio as the stage. Farcosky said LPCA will coordinate with Riverside Neighborhood Association and other groups in the area so the concerts don’t occur on the same days as other concerts in the area.
Latrobe Park was built in the early 1900s and designed by the Olmstead Brothers firm, which was founded by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. In the original drawings, a concert grove was planned for the grass area to the north of the field house. Farcosky noted they can now make that vision more of a reality.
The concert grove area has three walkways approaching the field house. Recreation and Parks Chief of Capital Development Adam Boarman told SouthBMore.com he has submitted a request to remove the middle sidewalk next year so this area serves more as a concert lawn.
The adjacent Banner Field, a $1.5-million project funded by Locust Point’s Under Armour, was completed in 2014. The project also made improvements to the playground, including a new toddler area, a rubberized floor, and the addition of large sail-like features to provide shade.
LPCA also recently added a plaque in memory of Alex “Albo” Wroblewski to Latrobe Park.
Photo below courtesy of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks
The concert grove
The Alex “Albo” Wroblewski plaque
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
