Herbert “Herb” Belgrad, the inaugural chair of the Maryland Stadium Authority, who oversaw the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, died Sunday.

Belgrad, also a respected Baltimore lawyer and a former partner at the firm Tydings & Rosenberg, was 90. His death was ruled accidental, caused by hypertensive heart disease and complicated by drowning, the medical examiner’s office said.

“There’s a place called Camden Yards that you can point to and say, ‘Herb Belgrad,‘” said John Moag Jr., who succeeded Belgrad as chair of the MSA in 1995. “That in itself is a big deal. But Herb was a fabulous father, a fabulous grandfather, great lawyer. He gave a lot in so many ways and [was] always very quiet. He was a very humble guy.”

Belgrad was named chair of the Maryland Stadium Authority, a board of state and city appointees that finances and manages sports facilities in the state, in 1986. Three years later, officials broke ground at Camden Yards, and April 6, 1992, marked opening day.

Belgrad, in a 1999 interview with the University of Maryland School of Law alumni magazine, called it a “mammoth project.”

“It required lots of hands-on time,” he said. “But I’ve been fortunate and successful, and it was a way to return something to the community. Everyone has to give back — especially when you have been as fortunate as I have.”

There is now a plaque honoring Belgrad and his work on the south wall of Oriole Park, and the MSA placed flowers there after learning of his death.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and may it give them some comfort that Mr. Belgrad will be remembered well in Maryland and beyond,” the authority said in an emailed statement.

An Orioles spokesperson said there might not have been a ballpark at Camden Yards “without the diligence of Herb Belgrad in negotiating a long-term lease between the Orioles and the state of Maryland.”

“His steady hand working with both parties guided not only the lease but also the construction of baseball’s crown jewel of a ballpark,” the spokesperson said.

Janet Marie Smith, who directed the design of Camden Yards, said Belgrad took his responsibilities as chair very seriously. At the time, it was a novel idea to move a sports franchise to the middle of a city, and Belgrad faced scrutiny both locally and nationally, she said.

“My respect and admiration for how he managed a very high-profile, intense project has endured all these decades,” Smith said. “He navigated lots of stormy issues.”

Belgrad did so by fostering an environment of camaraderie and collaboration, Smith said, and building relationships with state and local officials. He expertly communicated with the state legislature and “garnered the trust of everyone around him.”

“The projects that were done on his watch — they feel like very important civic monuments," she said. “They don’t just feel like they accomplished the job at hand but that the projects themselves transcended that and became important civic monuments.”

During his nine-year tenure, Belgrad also represented Baltimore at NFL expansion meetings. Though the two expansion efforts were unsuccessful at the time, Belgrad set the groundwork for the eventual arrival of the Ravens and the construction of M&T Bank Stadium in the ‘90s.

Moag said he “spent an awful lot of time with Herb, talking about what they had been through, what mistakes they made, where they did things right, what they would do over again, all of which was extremely helpful to me.” Though the expansion process he experienced was a bit different, he knew he could always call Belgrad if he needed someone to talk to.

“He led by example more than by fiat, and he had everyone following him for very good reason,” Moag said.

Belgrad had a knack for leadership all his life, said Morton Rapoport, who attended Baltimore City College with Belgrad. Rapoport was the campaign manager when Belgrad ran for class president. He not only won but served for three years.

“He was a very kind, sweet guy,” Rapoport said. “He was a very important and successful contributor in our community.”

Hayes Gardner contributed to this story.

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