Changes to Fenway (eliminating 450 Bleacher Seats)

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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Yeah I really hate this. At least it won't be until '20-'21. Allowing this without a parking solution seems backward.

Wonder what happens with Symphony Hall?
 

Murby

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Mar 16, 2006
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To me the no on-site parking is the crazy part. I would force them to put parking in, but that’s my own personal issue everywhere.

Taking away bleacher seats hurts fans that can’t pay through the nose for seats, so this seems silly. I don’t really get why don’t just eliminate Landsdowne as a street and move on.
 

axx

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Reading the proposal they aren't asking for a reduction in Fenway's capacity; I don't know if that would mean they would sell 300 more SRO tickets along with the 150 (more expensive I imagine) seats they are adding.

To be clear it's the upper bleachers and the triangle behind there.
 

Orel Miraculous

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Yeah I really hate this. At least it won't be until '20-'21. Allowing this without a parking solution seems backward.

Wonder what happens with Symphony Hall?
There is a parking solution: it's called building a theater in the middle of a transit-heavy urban core where driving is a luxury but not necessity. It's the same solution that allows Fenway Park to fill up with 35,000 people 81 times a year despite having zero parking spots.

As for what's going to happen to Symphony Hall. . . umm, absolutely nothing.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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Last edited:

GlucoDoc

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Dec 19, 2005
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I wonder if anyone has done a study of how the structure will affect the wind patterns that go through the park. It could impact the number of homeruns, how fly balls behave, and other potential on-field issues.
 

savage362

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Will they be compensating for the removed bleacher seats with more standing room tickets? I could easily see another 100 or so standing room tickets being sold for that area.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

holden
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The overall capacity of the park won't change, so I assume some of the displaced seats will be sold as standing room. The new bleacher pavilion is supposed to seat 150 people around bartop tables, similar to the Sam Adams deck above RF, the balance may be added to SRO.

Edit: @axx covered it above.
 

Plympton91

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Urban planners seem like they won’t be happy until the population density of America’s cities rivals that of Mumbai.

Can we just stop please.
 

nvalvo

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Urban planners seem like they won’t be happy until the population density of America’s cities rivals that of Mumbai.

Can we just stop please.
Because freeways scale so tremendously? Have you noticed that Greater Boston's traffic situation has completely fallen apart over the past decade? What are you actually proposing?

The densest places in America have been getting *less* dense for decades. Manhattan's population density peaked around 1950, as did Chicago and Boston; Sun Belt cities peaked a bit later (i.e. Atlanta in 1970) or are still growing (LA, Houston, Phoenix), due to the invention of air conditioning.
 

mauf

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Urban planners seem like they won’t be happy until the population density of America’s cities rivals that of Mumbai.

Can we just stop please.
Actually, population density in central Boston is lower than it should be — too many offices and attractions, not enough housing. The result is hellish traffic and the gentrification of outlying neighborhoods.

Btw, I realize that only a handful of cities have these problems, and we’re blessed that some of our bigger problems arise from the mishandling of prosperity. There are worse things.
 

biollante

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I missed this. Removing bleacher seats is lame. Fenway fans become so quiet (the main noise is the incessant music and crap through the P.A. system).
I will wait to see the final product before I officially trash it. They do manage to surprise me with their design.
I wonder whether it will screw up my 10 man plan tickets I have in the bleachers. I assume not.
 

Max Power

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Jul 20, 2005
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Full steam ahead. There's a giant hole in the ground where the old parking garage used to be. There's also a total rebuild of the old art high school across the street, so the whole area is a mess.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

holden
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Stumbled across this update over at ArchBoston, construction cruising along, almost complete. Here's what the new venue's exterior will look like from inside the park. (Photo Credit: Heather Dixon)







 

Max Power

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The Dunkin Dugout is gone. As are most of my postseason seat assignments as a weekend season ticket holder. I hope that means that they'll offer better seats rather than telling us we're out of luck.
 

soxhop411

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Dec 4, 2009
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https://universalhub.com/2019/joint-venture-between-red-sox-live-nation-will-run?nocache=1

This looks like it will take over that parking lot across from Jillian's and Landsdowne Pub?

Taking away 450 bleacher seats seems like a lot. 15+ rows of the cheap seats. Not a huge fan.
Venue is now open
Every athlete who suits up for the Red Sox knows the value of playing at Fenway Park. The intimacy of the stadium creates an energy not often matched at other ballparks.
With their latest addition to the 110-year-old stadium, the team behind Fenway Sports Group — led by John Henry, who also owns the Globe — are hoping to re-create a similar vibe for live music at the MGM Music Hall. Beginning with a benefit show headlined by Godsmack on Aug. 27, followed by two nights apiece for James Taylor (Aug. 29-30) and Chris Stapleton (Aug 31-Sept. 1), the venue is set to open its doors at the foot of Lansdowne Street.
Just as the Red Sox feed off the energy of the crowd, “our hope is that the performers will feel the same,” said FSG real estate managing director Jonathan Gilula during a sneak peek at the new venue on Thursday, ahead of Monday’s ribbon-cutting.
Located behind the right-field bleachers, the 5,000-seat auditorium occupies the former “Triangle Lot,” which for years was fenced off for mobile-production trucks.

The odd shape of the lot inspired some creative thinking. As it happens, the resulting project could turn out to be a groundbreaker in terms of concert venue design.

“Everybody loves the shape of Fenway, which came from the surrounding streets,” said Chuck Izzo of Somerville’s DAIQ Architects, who has done design work for several other ballparks, including Dodger Stadium and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. In the same way, he said, the MGM Music Hall is “a snug fit. We used every space we possibly could.”

The angled seating created a geometric space that should enhance acoustics. No seat is farther than 110 feet from the center of the stage. John Ahrens, a senior vice president of design and construction for Live Nation, said he intends to duplicate the design at venues in other cities wherever possible.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/20/arts/mgm-music-hall-bostons-newest-concert-venue-takes-field/
More at the link
 

biollante

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Thanks for updating this (even though there is a paywall). I haven't made it to a game yet this year. Is the new deck open ? How many people fit in the new concert venue ? Will this make home runs more likely in right field ?
 

Max Power

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The exterior of the building has been there all year, so you could maybe look at the effect of it on homers to right field now. But the Red Sox have stopped hitting them to right, left, center, home, and away this year, so the sample size is still quite small.