It's tough to look at Fenway Park and think that at one point, it was actually a brand-new ballpark. It seems like the years and years of memories and moments at the old ballpark have altered the course of history so that Fenway has stood forever.
That, of course is not the case.
The Red Sox will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fenway on Friday, after a century of hosting one of baseball's most beloved teams in the world's most beloved ballpark. However, the Sox' old home, Huntington Avenue Grounds, was far from beloved, and it was never considered a treasure.
That's why the club decided to pack up and move to a new ballpark in the Fens.
Construction on the new park, Fenway Park, began in September of 1911. Construction, done by James McLaughlan Construction, cost the club "just" $650,000.
The ballpark has obviously come a long way since 1912 — believe it or not, there were no HD video boards back then — but the initial structure of Fenway remains today.
Photos from 1912 show a lot of structural similarity, especially when it comes to things like the infield grandstands.
See photos below from the park in 1912 courtesy of the Libarary of Congress.
