5 days ago
Red Sox ownership unveils new office building that would rise above Fenway's Green Monster
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'While a formal agreement is still in progress, the current plan is for the building to serve primarily as the future home of the Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group's main offices, who are expected to occupy the majority of the space,' a Fenway Corners spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
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For decades, the Red Sox and FSG have based their operations within ancient Fenway Park itself, along with rented space nearby at 82 and 92 Brookline Ave. Moving out would afford them more modern space, while also opening more of Fenway for fan amenities, a spokesman said.
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'Relocating those operations will allow them to repurpose existing office areas within Fenway Park for enhanced fan amenities, meeting spaces, and new activations that improve the overall ballpark experience,' the Fenway Corners spokesperson said.
The seven-story property would face both Fenway Park and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Morris Adjmi Architects, Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects, Gensler
Project renderings from Morris Adjmi Architects and Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects were
'The two structures work very much in harmony,' said Yanni Tsipis, senior vice president of development with WS Development in Boston, at the June 2 public meeting. 'This building will not compete with the soul and character of its surrounding context — it will step away very respectfully.'
As proposed, the building would stand 129 feet — high enough to be visible above the Green Monster and make it even harder to hit a ball clear to the Turnpike.
And while the famed Citgo sign will still be visible from many vantage points in the park, 'views from certain angles will change with the addition of this building,' the Fenway Corners spokesperson said in an email.
Beyond the Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group also owns Liverpool Football Club, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and two regional sports news networks. (Fenway Sports Group's principal owner, John Henry, owns The Boston Globe; the project spokesperson said there was no plan to move the Globe to the new building.)
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The earliest the project could start construction is mid-to-late 2026, with an expected 2½-year construction timeframe.
An artist rendering of Landsdowne Street with a new building being proposed by the Red Sox on what's now the site of a small parking garage.
Morris Adjmi Architects, Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects, Gensler
The project comes at a time of overall sluggishness for new real estate development, and follows a period of dramatic transformation of the blocks surrounding Fenway Park.
'No one thought the Fenway could ever be what the Fenway is today,' said Tim Horn, a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee overseeing the Fenway Corners development.
And Genevieve Day, co-executive director of the Fenway Alliance, a guild of 22 cultural and educational institutions in the neighborhood, praised the project's design.
'It really looks like one of those buildings that has always been there,' said Day. 'It almost looks like a warehouse building that you're repurposing for this usage.'
And the 55 Lansdowne project could eventually grow much larger. Plans for the seven-story building include a two-story passageway that would connect to a building developed over the Turnpike — a building the Fenway Corners development consortium has air rights to build — and would, in time, create a pedestrian connection between Lansdowne Street and Kenmore Square.
The project was scheduled to appear in front of the architecture review board the Boston Civic Design Commission on Tuesday evening. The team also needs to review its project agreements with its citizens' advisory committee before starting construction.
The Landsdowne Street building would be part of a larger development around Fenway Park that has been approved by the Boston Planning & Development Agency.
Morris Adjmi Architects, Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects, Gensler
Catherine Carlock can be reached at
