Fenway Park
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
There are few home fields as famous or as infamous as Boston's Fenway Park. Built especially for the Red Sox in 1912, Fenway is one of the oldest stadiums in American history. The old park has withstood some attempts to tear it down and build a new stadium that will hold more people. The people of Boston hang on to their stadium the way they tenaciously clung to the belief that the Red Sox would again win a World Series. So far, Fenway is still standing, and is still one of the most enduring traditions in modern baseball.
Why Fenway?
Fenway holds a little under 34,000 people, and has been modified through the years. It is called Fenway Park simply because it was built in the Fenway section of Boston. Known for it's run-producing odd dimensions, the Park's walls and berms were created to keep non-paying customers out of the Park, rather than produce more runs for the home team. Probably the most famous feature in Fenway is the "Green Monster," the formidable wall in left field that eats home runs for lunch.
Fenway Fires
Two fires have hit Fenway through the years. In 1926, a fire destroyed bleachers along the left field line, and due to lack of funds, they were not replaced at the time, fans simply stood behind the burned out stands and tried to catch foul balls. A second fire raged for five long hours in 1934, but reconstruction took only four months. When the "new" Fenway opened in April, 1934, concrete bleachers replaced wooden bleachers in center field, and a 37-foot tall sheet metal wall replaced the previous wooden left field wall. Later, another 23 1/2-foot screen was added to the top of the wall, to protect surrounding houses, and in 1947, the structure was painted green, and the Green Monster was born.
Reconstruction
Fenway has had some other facelifts throughout history, too. In 1940, bullpens were constructed along the right field line, bringing the line 23-feet closer to home plate, which made it easier for slugger Ted Williams to hit home runs. The bullpens became known as "Williamsburg." Skyview seats were installed in 1946, and lights came next in 1947. The first message board came over the centerfield bleachers in 1976, but the scoreboard is still hand-operated. Stadium club seats were added 1988-89, and in 2003, seats were added along the top of the Green Monster. Other than that, Fenway is still essentially the same park that opened in 1912 - an enduring legend in an enduring sport.
Fenway Park is a legend to most baseball fans. Tours are conducted of the Park throughout the year (see the link below). Fenway lives, and so do the dreams of Red Sox fans everywhere.