Boston Red Sox
Lucchino: Fenway is good for next 40 to 50 years
04:22 PM EDT on Thursday, April 2, 2009
The offseason renovations to Fenway Park are complete, and with them comes a proclamation from Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino that the team isn’t going anywhere for a long, long time.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino toured the park Thursday morning, and Lucchino said on the tour said that the Red Sox could be in the park for another half-century.
"One of Mayor Menino’s enduring legacies will be that the Boston Red Sox can play baseball at Fenway Park for the next 40 to 50 years," Lucchino said.
The renovation work will allow the Sox to sell roughly 350 more tickets each game, though the official capacity of 38,928 will not increase. Right field roof repair and expansion, which marks the completion of the improvements and repairs in the upper sections of Fenway Park; concrete repair and waterproofing of the original 1912 seating bowl; and necessary repairs to the Jeano Building, including the replacement of its roof and restoration of the windows and doors.
The team added new seats along the right-field roof, a section originally added as a temporary expansion in 1976. The team added 560 new seats in place of 383 roof-box seats.
The Sox then added dedicated standing-room spaces with drink rails along the right field roof, similar to those already in place above the Green Monster. The right-field roof now features 75 new stools, flanked by new concession areas and restrooms. The nearby Budweiser Right Field Roof Deck has also been expanded with 28 new seats at tables. Wheelchair accessibility and sightlines in disabled seating areas were also improved throughout the park.
The lower seating area stretching from first base to third base -- Sections 14 to 28 -- was repaired and waterproofed, which prompted the team to replace the 1970s-era red box seats in these sections, and to refurbish the historic grandstand. The new seats boast seat cushions and drink holders, while the grandstand seats were widened to 18 inches, to be consistent with the outfield bleachers.
Fenway’s concessions are served by ARAMARK, the Philadelphia-based food service giant, and the company is adding new menu items at Fenway this spring. Various venues around the park will now offer shrimp rolls and steak tips at the new Surf and Turf Grill; Gobbler sandwich; made-to-order chicken and beef tacos and burritos; boneless chicken wings; and three sliders in a bag.
Fenway is 97 years old, and a decade ago the then-owners were in serious talks with the state to demolish the ballpark and erect a new one. The John Henry-led group that bought the stadium in 2001, however, has made keeping Fenway a priority. They have poured $100 million into the park in the last 10 years, Lucchino said.
"From Day One, the mission of this ownership group led by John Henry and Tom Werner has been to protect and preserve America’s most beloved ballpark for the long term. With the completion of the Year VIII improvements, Fenway Park is poised to serve fans for several decades," Lucchino said.
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