Future Fenway Design Symposium
Key Findings and Conclusions from the Design Symposium
Grandstand Reconstruction Proposal
Rolando Llanes and his design team explored a more comprehensive renovation of Fenway Park. Their solution entailed a reconstruction of the grandstand and the addition of an upper deck, with additional points of entry to the park and increased "back of the house" services.
Fenway Park would feature the most modern of facilities for fans and the team, yet maintain its original intimacy and feel. In fact, as proposed, the new ballpark would offer upper deck seats closer to the field than those provided at any other Major League baseball stadium, including the current Fenway Park!
One of the more creative aspects of this proposal is the placement of 500 seats above the Green Monster, which could quite possibly become the most desired tickets in baseball. The park would have the same Team Annex facility behind the right field stands as in the Preservation Proposal.
This proposal could seat from 38,200 to 40,000 fans, with at least 4,500 club seats and 67 luxury boxes. Preliminary cost estimates for this option total $266 million.
Construction phasing for this option is a little more complex. If a temporary, alternative playing site is found to be infeasible, then the work could be conducted on-site with a reduced capacity during this period.
An unusual but intriguing idea for maintaining a quality fan experience during these years involves moving home plate to the present right field corner and playing in this configuration for a year or two. This would make the right field grandstand and bleacher seats the "best in the house" and create an even quirkier field configuration with the Green Monster now in short right field. (Meanwhile, grandstand reconstruction could procede year-round beyond temporary "left" and "centerfield" walls.)
One of the more effective products to come out of the symposium were scale model sections of the seating decks at Coors Field in Denver and for the design team's Grandstand Reconstruction Proposal. Standing side by side, the models clearly illustrate the advantages of the renovation plan, particularly with regard to the proximity of seats to the field. At the final presentation, Philip Bess emphasized this point:
"We certainly could expand our plans to accommodate the 44,000 seats currently in the Red Sox proposal. However, we feel that those extra seats would not offer a quality fan experience. At a renovated Fenway, virtually every seat will be a great seat."
Reconstruction Proposal - Relevant Statistics
Reconstructed Fenway vs Coors Field
Open Session (Reconstruction Proposal) notes from 8/7/00
Open Session (Reconstruction Proposal) notes from 8/10/00
Open Session (Reconstruction Proposal) Q&A from 8/10/00
Future Fenway Design Symposium
Reconstruction - Relevant Statistics
Reconstructed Fenway vs Coors Field
Open Session notes from 8/7/00
Open Session notes from 8/10/00
Ballpark Intimacy and Obstructed Views
Fenway Park Preservation Proposal
Urban Design and Traffic Proposals
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