The Boston Red Sox can expect to call Fenway Park home for decades, according to team owner John Henry.
Fenway Park opened in 1912, and now stands as Major League Baseball‘s oldest active ballpark. For years, the Red Sox and Boston officials discussed the possibility of building a replacement elsewhere in the city, but Henry made upgrades to Fenway Park a priority upon taking over the franchise in 2002.
The changes that took place under Henry have become familiar features at Fenway Park, with the seats added above the Green Monster being one of the signature additions. Aside from the more visible changes, the ballpark also underwent structural improvements such as concrete repair, a draining system upgrade, and more to keep the facility in better shape.
That level of attention, along with continued maintenance, has addressed many of the structural issues that previously faced the ballpark. According to Henry, the changes should be enough to ensure that Fenway Park remains active for years to come. More from Boston Magazine:
“I’m not sure that we feel the need to go too much further with Fenway Park. I think it’s a tremendous experience to be there,” Henry said. “There’s been 15 years of tender, loving care going in on an annual basis. It’s been sort of built to last—built to last for the next 30, at least 30 years, if not 50 years. So I don’t think we see a lot of changes.”
At spring training in 2014, Henry betrayed a bit more gloom and doom about Fenway’s future, telling reporters, “Structurally there is an expiration date.” But thanks to a number of tune-ups and improvements, Henry appeared more optimistic—especially with regard to the area surrounding the ballpark.
Certainly, there is always going to be a lot of buzz surrounding new ballparks, but some teams in MLB have being going the renovation route. Dodger Stadium and Kaufman Stadium have both been overhauled in recent years, while the Chicago Cubs are continuing their multi-year improvement plan at Wrigley Field. With those changes in place, it ensures that some ballparks are going to stand the test of time and, fortunately for baseball fans, it seems that Fenway Park will be among the facilities that last for years to come.