FREDERICK, Md. — A Frederick landmark is getting long awaited renovations.
The Maryland Stadium Authority has agreed to $39 million of funding to upgrade Harry Grove Stadium, home of the Frederick Keys.
Baseball fans have flocked to "The Grove" each summer since it was built in 1990.
For three decades the Frederick Keys served as the single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles minor league system.
The Keys helped develop dozens of players who later became Major League stars.
In 2020 the O's dropped the Keys as an affiliate.
The stadium's condition was a major contributing factor, according to Frederick Mayor Michael O'Connor.
Since then the Keys have joined Major League Baseball's Draft League, which gives unsigned or undrafted amateur players an opportunity to be scouted by professional teams.
During the 2023 season Harry Grove also welcomed the Ghost Hounds, a professional baseball team of the independent Atlantic League.
The Hounds however, sat out the 2024 season leaving their future in jeopardy.
Now Keys ownership along with the City of Frederick and Maryland Stadium Authority are looking to renovate Harry Grove Stadium, in hopes of bringing back a Major League club's Minor League affiliate.
Baltimore based Whiting-Turner Contracting Company was chosen to lead the renovation project in partnership with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting.
The design phase is anticipated to spill into the 2025 season, with construction extending into 2026.
None of the work is expected to disrupt the playing season.
“We are confident that this investment will not only extend the life of a 34-year-old venue that has been an important part of our community, but also generate positive incremental economic benefits for the state and City, develop young professional athletes in the State of Maryland, and allow families to attend a sporting venue that is safe and that they can take pride in for years to come,” said O’Connor.
