📍 Boston, Massachusetts
⚾ Home of the Boston Red Sox

Baseball’s oldest venue, Fenway Park blends historic Boston charm and modern baseball expectations in a spectacular way. Built in 1912 in the Fenway neighborhood for which it’s named, the park is both a remnant of the jewel box era and a model for stadium preservation. From the Green Monster to Jersey Street, there are many quirky qualities that help make this America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

Like many ballparks conceived during the early 20th century, Fenway Park’s one-of-a-kind design reflects the tight, disproportional tract of land it sits on. Sandwiched on a small parcel bounded by Jersey, Landsdowne, Van Ness and Ipswich Streets, the stadium is known for its deep right field fence and short dimensions in left, as well as its intimate seating bowl design. Fenway is the fourth-smallest in MLB in terms of seating capacity, holding just over 37,000 fans.

Although it also briefly hosted the Boston Braves from 1914-15, it’s been the Red Sox who have utilized the unique ballpark to build their legacy. Fenway was a distinctive facility even when it opened, replacing the Huntington Avenue Grounds as the team’s home, and continued to evolve in the decades that followed. After a 1926 fire destroyed the left-field bleachers, massive renovations were undertaken and completed for in time for the 1934 season, resulting in a layout that persists to the present day – rife with obstructed view seats – and producing Fenway’s defining icon: the Green Monster.

This legendary wall stands a little more than 37 feet tall and, although it’s 310 feet from the plate, the Green Monster is solidly at the forefront of the park’s identity. It is heralded by right-handed hitters, who often yank home runs onto – and over – the wall and across Landsdowne Street. These homers sail over the heads of the folks who’ve secured one of the many exclusive drink-rail seats atop the Monster, added as an amenity in 2003. The front of the wall also boasts a manual scoreboard, one of the last in the majors. It can be safely said that the cherished style of the Green Monster transcends ballpark design itself, inspiring numerous copycats from WellSpan Park in York, Penn. to Red Sox minor league affiliates like Worcester and Greenville.

But the Green Monster isn’t the only feature of Fenway that contributes to its character. The right field foul pole, called Pesky’s Pole, has a story all its own. It’s said that ’40s-era shortstop Johnny Pesky hit several of his few career home runs in the vicinity of the right field corner, with pitcher and broadcaster Mel Parnell bestowing Pesky’s name on the pole. Right field also has the “Lone Red Seat”, which denotes Ted Williams’ record-breaking home run on June 9, 1946 that set the benchmark for the park’s furthest dinger.

Another one of Fenway’s icons actually sits well outside the ballpark gates but has cemented its spot in the Red Sox fandom nonetheless. Perched atop a building in Kenmore Square a few blocks north of the venue, a neon-lit Citgo sign appears to loom behind the Green Monster and is visible from inside most of the park. The otherwise unremarkable billboard is treasured because it often shows up in TV shots of left-field home runs and can be interpreted as “See-it-go” in reference to these longballs.

Did you know?
Neil Diamond’s hit song “Sweet Caroline” is played at every Red Sox game between the 7th and 8th innings, a tradition that began in 2002. After being pumped through the ballpark occasionally during games when the team was ahead, Red Sox management decided to make it a daily habit, thus beginning one of baseball’s most well-known singalongs.

The Red Sox experienced early success as a club, securing five World Series rings in their early years before the supposed “Curse of the Bambino” began. After infamously trading future Yankee legend Babe Ruth to their rival in New York in 1920, the Sox wouldn’t win a World Series again until 2004. The curse having finally been broken after 84 years, the team went on to win three more titles, most recently with a victory over the Dodgers in 2018.

The fair grounds of Fenway have seen the Olde Towne Team through all of its highs and lows, but it has also hosted events beyond just baseball, showcasing things like the NHL’s Winter Classic and annual college football bowl games. Its cultural appeal and historical background certainly make Fenway Park the most beloved sports venue in not just New England, but America as a whole.