Back in 2014, Red Sox principal owner John Henry said there was a structural “expiration date” for Fenway Park, one he estimated to be maybe 30 years away.
It appears Red Sox ownership’s thinking has changed in the eight years since Henry made those comments. In an article in The Athletic about the futures of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, Henry and Red Sox executive vice president and chief operating officer Jonathan Gilula are quoted as saying that upgrades that have been made to Fenway should make it a viable home for the Red Sox for generations to come.
“Fenway Park has only gotten better over the years,” Henry said. “We have taken exhaustive efforts over the past 20 years and spent several hundred million dollars to make Fenway viable for future generations to enjoy. There is no design nor desire to play anywhere else. With the annual improvements we make each offseason, it just gets more exciting every year to go to work there. We deeply feel its history every day.”
Gilula said specifically that they no longer believe the park has an expiration date.
“We don’t view Fenway Park as a place that has an expiration date,” Gilula said. “There has never been discussion of playing anywhere else. We have made concerted efforts and invested several hundred million dollars over the past twenty years to preserve, protect and enhance Fenway Park. That significant investment has been made and will continue to be made with the intention of Fenway Park remaining viable for generations to enjoy.”
Since purchasing the Red Sox in 2002, Henry and his Fenway Sports Group have overseen significant renovations to Fenway, highlighted by the additions of Green Monster seats and the right field roof deck, expanded concourses, new video boards, and repairs to numerous sections of seating.
Quoting baseball historian Glenn Stout, The Athletic notes that Fenway has benefitted structurally from the fact that it was built in 1912 with a foundation strong enough to support an eventual second deck, which was never actually added. Gilula also says that Fenway has undergone infrastructure improvements over the last 20 years that fans don’t see, along with the more visible aspects of renovation.
Stout says there are other challenges that could eventually lead the Red Sox to build a new ballpark, though, such as limited space -- both in terms of the size of seats and in terms of possible expansion -- and rising water levels in the Back Bay/Fenway area due to climate change.
For now, though, it appears the Red Sox will not be looking for a new home any time soon, and that Fenway may very well outlast Henry’s 30-year projection from 2014.
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