Fenway park @ 100

[whighlander]

Its time to acknowledge the contribution to Boston's Urbanity that had been provided by a bunch of outsiders who bought the Red Sox and transformed the aging ballyard into the new entertainment district

I was down at Fenway for the 100th anniversary open house along with 50,000 or so others -- the Park was open from top-to-bottom and most of what I saw was quite impressive

But beyond Fenway itself -- the entire area around the Kenmore T has changed more dramatically than I could have imagined it when I first saw it nearly 50 years ago and even in the context of what I was familiar with it during the 70's when I was an undergraduate:

The rebuilt Kenmore Green Line T with its newly reconstructed Fenway passage
The busy streetcape along Commonwealth heading toward Brookiine Ave.
Crossing the Pike and seeing consumer-oriented businesses ahead rather than just institutions on Brookline Ave
The active sports-bar and other venues along Landsdown St. and continuing down Brookline to the corner with Yawkey Way
A much improved Boylston Street

Is Van Ness and Ipswitch still a wasteland -- YES
Are there still empty lots used for parking -- yes
Are there still under utilized buildings -- yes
Can there still be more local resident-friendly business yes

Is this a much better place -- triggered by the investments made by the Red Sox -- Absolutely!

so 3 cheers for Fenway and its next 100 years
as they say in Polish Sto Lat!

and now let's see it there are some ideas to move forward for the weird shaped area encompassing Fenway and bounded roughly by: Commonwealth, Brookline, Boylston, Charlesgate