ATLANTA - Bill Finch, the designer of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, died Monday of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 89. <br>
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Finch created the concept for the two Major League Baseball stadiums, both of which have since been demolished to make way for new ballparks, said co-worker Henry Teague. <br>
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``Bill considered the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium his finest work. Even so, he didn't make a fuss when it was torn down,'' said a former partner, Cecil Alexander of Atlanta. <br>
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Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which opened in 1966 and was destroyed in 1997 after the Atlanta Olympics, was known as ``the Launching Pad'' because so many home runs sailed out of it. Hank Aaron hit his record-breaking 715th home run there April 8, 1974. <br>
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The field is now a parking lot next to the Atlanta Braves current stadium, Turner Field. <br>
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``You get old enough, and they tear everything you do down,'' Teague said. ``He loved his architecture, the Marines and his family. He was probably the most honest man I've ever known in my life.'' <br>
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Riverfront Stadium opened in 1970 and was destroyed Dec. 29, 2002, as Cincinnati opened Great American Ball Park this season. <br>
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Finch's firm also helped plan the University of North Carolina's ``Dean Dome'' and the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. <br>
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Finch had a role in building Atlanta landmarks including the First Atlanta Bank tower, the Georgia Power building, the BellSouth tower and Coca-Cola headquarters. <br>
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Finch was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and he served 37 years in the Marine Reserves, retiring as a colonel.
