Which baseball stadium, opened in 1912, is the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball?

Fenway Park is the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball. The historic stadium opened in 1912 and has remained home to the Boston Red Sox for more than a century. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Fenway Park is one of the most recognizable places in baseball history, known for its unusual dimensions, intimate feel, passionate crowds, and famous left-field wall called the Green Monster.

Fenway Park opened on April 20, 1912, the same week that news of the Titanic disaster was dominating newspapers. Because of that timing, the ballpark’s debut did not receive the kind of national attention it might have otherwise. Still, the park quickly became the home of the Red Sox and a central part of Boston’s sports identity. The Red Sox were already an important American League franchise, and Fenway became the stage for some of the team’s greatest players, seasons, heartbreaks, and championships.

The park was built during an era when many cities were replacing wooden ballparks with steel-and-concrete stadiums. Unlike many later multipurpose stadiums, Fenway was designed specifically for baseball and fit tightly into its urban neighborhood. Its location helped shape its unusual layout. Streets, property lines, and surrounding buildings influenced the dimensions of the outfield, creating a ballpark that does not feel symmetrical or standardized.

The most famous feature of Fenway Park is the Green Monster, the tall wall in left field. The wall stands 37 feet high and turns what might be routine fly balls in other parks into doubles, singles, or dramatic rebounds. For right-handed hitters, the wall can be inviting because it is relatively close to home plate. For outfielders, it creates a completely different challenge. They have to learn how balls carom off the wall, how quickly to play rebounds, and when to expect a hard-hit ball to stay in the park instead of leaving it.

The Green Monster was not always the polished landmark people know today. Earlier versions of the wall included advertisements, and it was later painted green, giving it the nickname that became part of baseball language. Seats were added on top of the wall in the early 2000s, creating one of the most sought-after viewing areas in the stadium. From those seats, fans look down over left field and across one of the most famous views in the sport.

Fenway Park’s age is a major part of its character. Many ballparks built around the same period have been demolished or replaced, but Fenway survived. Its concourses, seating angles, narrow spaces, hand-operated scoreboard, and close connection between fans and the field give it a different feel from modern stadiums. Some parts of the park can feel cramped compared with newer venues, but that is also part of its identity. Fenway feels like a living piece of baseball history rather than a stadium built to imitate history.

The Red Sox history at Fenway includes legendary names such as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and many others. Ruth played for Boston before becoming a New York Yankees icon. Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters ever, spent his entire Major League career with the Red Sox and became closely associated with Fenway’s left-field wall and right-field power alleys. Carlton Fisk’s famous home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series remains one of the most replayed moments connected to the park.

Fenway Park was also the home field during the long championship drought often called the “Curse of the Bambino,” which followed the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The Red Sox finally ended that drought by winning the World Series in 2004. When the team later won championships in 2007, 2013, and 2018, Fenway became part of a new era of Red Sox success while still carrying the weight of its older history.

The stadium has hosted more than baseball. Over the years, Fenway Park has been used for football, hockey, soccer, concerts, political events, and community gatherings. Still, its primary identity remains tied to the Red Sox and to summer nights in Boston. The park’s lights, brick exterior, green seating, manual scoreboard, and compact urban setting make it instantly recognizable.

The answer is Fenway Park. Opened in 1912 and still home to the Boston Red Sox, it is the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball, a historic stadium known for the Green Monster, its unusual layout, and more than a century of American League baseball in Boston.