Sox put turnstiles on Yawkey

After years of speculation about relocation and rebuilding, the Boston Red Sox front office is finally looking into renovation plans.

The Red Sox unveiled a new extension to the existing concourse on Wednesday, the first major effort by the club to experiment with ways to expand the 90-year-old stadium.

Although the extension onto Yawkey Way does not add any seating, it does open up the cramped first base concourse by making the street a part of the stadium, complete with concession stands run by Aramark, the company in charge of all food sales at the park.

While the independent sausage, steak tips and peanut vendors have been pushed to other areas around the park, Steinberg noted that the turnstiles have been placed nearly 75 feet from the corners at Brookline and Van Ness Avenues to allow those vendors to remain a part of Yawkey Way.

The concourse expansion takes over the rest of Yawkey Way between Brookline and Van Ness Avenues. The road will be blocked off approximately three hours prior to game time, allowing crews to set up turnstiles and fencing on both ends of the street. The gates, which used to open an hour and a half prior to the first pitch, will now open two hours prior.

The idea to open the gates earlier came from Fenway Park attendant Bob Levin, who thought that fans would want to see Sox batting practice.

“Opening the park early not only eases the rush on the gates, it gives fans the long-desired opportunity to watch Red Sox batting practice,” said Red Sox President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Lucchino in a press release. “For a 7:05 game, the Red Sox take ‘BP’ from 4:30 to 5:30. Fans can now watch that for a half-hour.”

The area around Gate A on Yawkey Way has been cleared, opening up 3,500 square feet of new usable space that was formerly clogged by ticket lines. Encompassing the street makes an additional 25,000 square feet available as well. The new concession stands are set up against the brick wall of the park, facing onto the street.

While Charles Steinberg, the Red Sox Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, seemed very excited about the new plan during a one-hour media-only tour on Wednesday, some fans believe it is simply a ploy for the team to make more money.

“Of course revenue is a factor,” Lucchino responded. “We do believe there will be some additional revenue that will come because concession stands will be more available. But the largest part is motivated by the desire to increase the quality and nature of the fan experience.”

That experience will be monitored during the month of September, which will be a trial period for the new changes according to Lucchino.

“I think there is a fair bit of excitement,” Lucchino said. “Remember, it is a work in progress. This is meant to be an effort during the month of September to get fan reactions, input and preferences. And we hope if it’s successful, we can refine it and make it a more permanent part of the Fenway experience.”

Along with the added space for fans, the street has been spruced up from end to end. Red Sox championship banners hang above, while more family-friendly amenities have been installed on ground level. These include exhibits on how bats, balls and gloves are made; real grass and dirt from the field for children to touch; and a chance for kids to hang out with the Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster.

Other changes on the first-base side include “Autograph Alley” inside the gate A area, where fans will be able to meet Red Sox and other baseball stars, and a first-timers booth for fans making their first trip to Fenway.

The most obvious additions to the street are the 11 new Fenway-run concession stands. While Fenway Franks will still be available inside, there will be a wide selection to choose from outside as well.

Sox legend Luis Tiant will run a stand specializing in authentic Cuban food, while a little further down, fans will be able to enjoy food from around the country at “A Taste of the Major Leagues:” Baltimore crab cakes, Philly cheesesteaks, and Chicago-style hot dogs.

Beer will also be sold on Yawkey Way for the first time.

While some independent vendors have publicly voiced their displeasure with the plan, Steinberg pointed out the stores on the opposite side of Yawkey Way and neighboring bars and restaurants have no problem with it.

“Even with the sale of beer, this is not intended to be the place to go to have some beers before the game,” Steinberg said. “It is intentionally non-competitive with the neighborhood bars. Their business may actually improve, since we will be bringing fans in even earlier.”

When asked about the possibility of giving up the current park if this experiment doesn’t work, Lucchino was quick to respond.

“I think you’re overreacting to one small element of what we hope is a larger plan for Fenway renovation and improvement. This is a small step towards that goal, and we hope it meets with fan approval.”

Red Sox owner John Henry said he thought it was a more than a small step at the media tour yesterday.

“I would classify this as a little more than a small improvement.” Henry said. “I think it’s something big because it is so congested inside; this will really open the ballpark up to some degree.”

For any fan who has made the trek to Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the new Yawkey Way will be reminiscent of Eutaw Street, which sits just behind the right field wall and features all types of food, highlighted by Oriole-great Boog Powell’s Barbeque Pit.

“If you go to Baltimore you see Eutaw Street, which was patterned after Yawkey Way,” Henry said. “It’s kind of ironic that we’re patterning Yawkey Way a little more after a Camden Yards experience.

“What we’re adding is an experience for fans,” the Sox owner said. “When you go to Baltimore, it’s an event, a street fair. Hopefully it’s what we’ll have here.”