More improvements could be on tap at Fenway Park, as the Boston Red Sox have filed plans that include bleacher upgrades and a new function room.
In a letter sent Tuesday to city planning officials, the Red Sox outlined their latest proposal for Major League Baseball’s oldest ballpark. Along with providing details on a previously unveiled concept for a 5,000-seat theater in collaboration with Live Nation to be built at Lansdowne and Ipswich streets (rendering above), the Red Sox outlined plans for bleacher improvements and a new function space.
A new space would be constructed to connect to the back of the ballpark’s bleachers, with the area including concessions, restrooms, and more. The function room, meanwhile, is pitched as an indoor event space that offers views of Fenway Park and includes areas that can be shared between ballpark and theater operators. More from the Boston Globe:
The letter from Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox, was sent to the Boston Planning & Development Agency and signed by Jonathan Gilula, the team’s executive vice president of business affairs. The letter also provided details of the company’s proposed 5,000-seat Fenway Theater, a performing arts center eyed for land alongside the ballpark.
Regarding the bleachers, Gilula wrote that the proposed upgrades include “a new area connected to the back of the ballpark’s bleachers that will feature concession stands, restrooms, and other elements designed to enhance the fan experience in the bleachers.”
The Sox also have big plans for the function room.
“Additionally, the Fenway Park Improvements would include a new function space with sweeping views of Fenway Park suitable for large groups and private events,” Gilula wrote. “The Interior Renovations would modify existing spaces to enable them to be shared between the operators of Fenway Park and the Fenway Theater (including a shared lobby, commissary, loading dock, trash and utility areas).”
The timeline for the upgrades remains uncertain at this point, as the Red Sox will have to work the concept through a review process in order for it to receive city approval. Should the plans move forward, they would mark some of the latest changes that the Red Sox have made to Fenway Park under the John Henry-led ownership group, which has made significant improvements to the ballpark–including the Green Monster seats, a right-field rooftop area, and more–since taking over in 2002.
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