Fenway Park

Fenway Park, is a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is primarily used for baseball, serving as the home field for the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and its owner.

Opened on 20 April 1912, with an inaugural match between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Highlanders, it replaced the Huntington Avenue Grounds. Fenway Park is one of the two remaining classic parks in Major League Baseball (the other being Wrigley Field) and the oldest among all MLB stadiums. The current seating capacity is 37,949 for night games and 38,949 for day games. The stadium was designed by James McLaughlin and had a construction cost of $650,000.

Apart from baseball, Fenway Park has also been the stage for various football games, concerts, and other sporting and cultural events. It's iconic 'Green Monster' left-field wall is a unique feature of the park. Fenway Park has also hosted the World Series ten times, with the Red Sox winning six of them while playing at their home ground. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, commemorating its centennial. By its 100th birthday, Fenway Park had welcomed more than 140 million spectators. The stadium is considered one of the top sports venues of the 20th century and continues to be a cultural icon in the world of baseball.

While the previous Red Sox stadium was also officially named 'Fenway Park', both the old and the new stadia are invariably referred to by their unofficial name, The Fens. Fenway is the name of the neighborhood the stadium was built on, in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, which itself derives its name from the nearby Fenway Victory Gardens. This unofficial name caught on soon after the original stadium's construction; the people of Boston used to simply call it The Fens. Therefore, the stadium's common name became 'Fenway Park', which is usually used across the globe. This name, however, refers not to 'fen' but to the original address of the stadium: 4 Yawkey Way.

The stadium's unique features include 'The Green Monster', a thirty-seven-foot-two inch high wall located in left field that is notorious for turning what would be routine fly balls in other ballparks into doubles or singles and sometimes robbing home runs if the outfielder can reach high enough to catch the ball. Other features include the 'Pesky's Pole', the right field foul pole named after Johnny Pesky, a light-hitting shortstop and long-time coach for the Red Sox, who hit some of his six home runs at Fenway Park around the pole.

Fenway Park has been the site of numerous historical moments in baseball, including Ted Williams' .406 season in 1941, Carlton Fisk's home run in the 1975 World Series, and the Red Sox's first World Series win in 86 years with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. The stadium has also hosted concerts and other sporting events, including football games and hockey matches. Despite its age and relatively small size compared to other modern stadiums, Fenway Park remains one of the most beloved landmarks in baseball and all of sports.

In addition to its role as the home of the Red Sox, Fenway Park also offers year-round tours, allowing fans to explore the storied history of the stadium. Visitors can sit atop the world-famous 'Green Monster', visit the press box, and even go inside the Red Sox's clubhouse. The park also houses the 'Royal Rooters Club', a private club for season ticket holders, and the 'Nation's Archives', which showcases memorabilia from the Red Sox's rich history.

A prime plot of land, with excellent accessibility and ample potential for future expansion, was identified in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. As a result of its location in the heart of the city, the new stadium was initially known as 'Fenway Park'.

The ultimate goal of the club was always to have complete ownership of both the stadium and the surrounding terrains. Initially, a lease was taken out on the municipal terrains, with a final purchase taking place only in 1933. The plans for the sports complex were outlined as early as the late 1910s by James McLaughlin, a former player for the club.

Under the leadership of the club's president, John I. Taylor, the associates coped with an increased fee to support the building costs for the new stadium, made large donations, and some even chose to work on the construction site during holidays or weekends. There was even a 'brick campaign', where large quantities of brick were donated to the club.

Construction officially began on September 25, 1911. Less than two years later, and at a cost of $650,000, on April 20, 1912, a crowd of 27,000 spectators filled the stadium for the inaugural match against the New York Highlanders (later known as the New York Yankees).

Today, Fenway Park is not just a baseball stadium. It's a living museum, a shrine to the game's history. It’s the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball (MLB), and it's also one of the smallest, with a nighttime seating capacity of 37,949 for night games and 38,949 for day games. The park has been modernized several times over the years, with major renovations taking place in 1934 and 1988, and smaller updates occurring regularly to ensure the stadium continues to meet the requirements of modern baseball.

However, despite these updates, Fenway Park retains much of its original character. Many of the park's most iconic features, including the 'Green Monster' (the 37-foot-tall wall in left field), date back to the earliest days of the stadium. The park's unique dimensions, which include the shortest right field foul line in the MLB, are a result of the irregular shape of the plot of land on which it was built.

Fenway Park is also home to several non-baseball events throughout the year, hosting concerts, football games, and even winter sports events like ice hockey and skiing. This versatility, combined with its rich history and iconic status, is part of what makes Fenway Park such a beloved institution in Boston and beyond.

Fenway Park (1912) (in English): Information about the establishment and history of Fenway Park. https://www.mlb.com/redsox/ballpark

Fenway Park (The Green Monster) – until 2003: Details about the unique features of Fenway Park, including the Green Monster. http://www.stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/fenway_park

Fenway Forever: A book detailing the enduring legacy of Fenway Park. https://www.amazon.com/Fenway-Forever-Prime-Books/dp/9728820070

Boston Red Sox 100 glorious years - The History 1: Comprehensive history of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park. https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Red-Sox-glorious-years/dp/989554099X