The Fenway was founded back in 1873. We’ve been watching it grow for over 150 years into the beating heart of Boston. But we’ve always got an eye on the future.
About The Fenway
The Fenway originally gained fame as home to several famous landmarks in the city, including Fenway Park and The Citgo sign. Today, it is known for much more. Through years of development, it has become the dynamic hive of interest and industry that we know today. It is alive 24-hours a day with world-class events, dining, art, shops and groundbreaking innovation.
Early history
The Fenway is annexed
The neighborhood started to form from land annexed from neighboring Brookline as part of the Brookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873.
Frederick Law Olmstead
The neighborhood took full-form with additional land filled in conjunction with the creation of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted parks.
Home to education
The Fenway continued to draw educational institutions like Boston University. By 1907, there were twenty-two educationally focused organizations, including nine college and universities which had made their homes in The Fenway.
Fenway Park
John Taylor purchased the land bordered by Brookline Avenue, Jersey Street, Van Ness Street and Lansdowne Street and developed it into a large baseball stadium. It was named Fenway Park because of its location in The Fenway neighborhood.
An uncommon week
The first game at Fenway Park was played the same week the Titanic sunk, on April 20, 1912. Boston beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in 11 innings.
“Since its humble origins as reclaimed marshland, Fenway has transformed from a vacant expanse into a bustling, mixed-use district.”
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mid century
A new landmark
The Landmark Center was completed as a series of Sears, Roebuck and Company distribution centers. It would serve as a warehouse for the next sixty years.
A sign joins the skyline
The first Citgo Sign, featuring the Cities Service green and white trefoil logo, was built.
The Green Monster emerges
The Green Monster, the famous 37.167 foot tall left field wall in Fenway Park was painted green.
A neighborhood icon
After attempts to disassemble the Citgo Sign were met with widespread public protest, the sign was refurbished and relit by Citgo, an event that drew a crowd of 1,000 fans of the sign.
“401 Park stands tall as a testament to the value of adaptive reuse projects. When one life of a building comes to an end, a new life emerges.”
Boston Preservation Alliance
Early 2000s
Mixing residential and retail
Fenway Triangle, a one-million-square-foot, mixed-use development and the first of its kind, started to take form in the heart of the neighborhood.
Luxury offerings
The 1330 Boylston project, a 450,000-square-foot development with luxury apartments and retail space, opened.
Hello, Tasty Burger!
The first Tasty Burger, helmed by chef Dave Dubois, opened in a former gas station on Boylston Street.
“Tasty Burger instantly became one of Boston’s favorite neighborhood Burger joints.”
Eat Well Guide
Most Recent
Mid-century goes modern
A mid-century landmark filled with rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, The Verb Hotel opened at 1271 Boylston Street as a testament to The Fenway’s deep musical roots.
Right on Target
Van Ness, a mixed-use residential, retail and office building opened. It is also home to Boston’s first Target outpost.
A new gateway
Pierce Boston, a 30-story tower built to house 109 condominiums, 240 rental units and over 20,000 square feet of retail opened. The building is an iconic gateway to the Fenway neighborhood.
New green space
The newly redeveloped 401 Park opens, home to innovative companies, Boston’s first modern food hall, and a 1-acre green space that was formerly a parking lot.
The Station
On the site of a former gas station, The Fenway’s newest outdoor gathering space opens as a transitional community space to foster experimentation and inclusivity.
Innovation hub
500,000-square-feet of office and lab space open at 201 Brookline, home to tenants that are part of Boston’s thriving life sciences economy.
The Present
The Fenway is thriving. No longer the new kids on the block, consider foundations laid and flags in the ground. We’re the beating heart of Boston, all because we’re proud of our neighborhood.
Community always comes first. Our cultural offerings and seasonal events are great ways to get to know the area, meet locals and be part of a buzzing community.
The Code
We live by a certain code here in the Fenway. It keeps us nimble, hungry and ready for whatever the day throws at us.
We tell it like it is, we’re proud of our roots and our community is everything. Read it, live it.
About S&A
Samuels & Associates have been developing the Fenway neighborhood for three decades. We’re now reaping the rewards of that hard work, living in an established ecosystem with the brightest minds of the generation, all rubbing shoulders as they change the world.
