Fenway Park was originally designed by James McLaughlin at the request of John I. Taylor, then owner of the Red Sox, and began construction in September 1911. There is much speculation as to where Fenway Park actually got its name – Taylor claimed it came from the park’s location in the filled-marshland or “fens” area of Boston known as the Fenway neighborhood, though one cannot dismiss the fact that Taylor’s family owned the Fenway Realty Company. The park took a year to complete and the first game was played on April 20, 1912. Unfortunately, coverage of the game was overshadowed by the Titanic sinking just a few days earlier. On January 5, 1934, a major fire broke out and destroyed much of the Fenway Park construction, however when it reopened on April 17, the park had been restored and was free of damage.

Fenway Park during the 1914 World Series
Photo Courtesy of Boston Public Library on Flickr

There have been several renovations, expansions and changes to Fenway Park in its history, leading to a variety of unique architectural elements and features, including:

• The Green Monster
  Part of the original 1912 construction, The Green Monster is the nickname for the left field wall in the park. Standing at 37.167 feet, the wall is made of wood which was then covered in tin and concrete in 1934 and again in 1976 with hard plastic. The wall was painted green in 1947 and in previous years had paid advertisements to appeal to the crowds.
• The Triangle
  One of the less obvious yet still highly unique features of Fenway Park is The Triangle, a region of center field where the walls form a distinct triangular section of seating.
• Pesky’s Pole
  One of two foul poles in the stadium, Pesky’s Pole marks the right field foul line and was named after former player and coach Johnny Pesky who hit some of his home runs around but never off of the pole.
  

  Red-tailed Hawk at Fenway Park

With all the distinct characteristics and architectural nuances that form the structure of Fenway Park, the potential for pest bird infestation is a major concern. Native red-tailed hawks have done a great job of ridding the park of unwanted birds. Hawks and similar predators are a wonderful form of green pest control, but it is very rare to find predators that naturally stay around the area that the pest control is needed. Luckily for Fenway Park, the red-tailed hawks have been staying around for years, preying on pest birds whose droppings threaten the park and patrons during game time. Pigeons love to nest inside the various nooks and crannies created by the overhead canopies through the years. However, after having recently installed a suspended ceiling over the prime seating area behind home plate, small openings were left around the canopy beams. The problem? Pigeons can fit through and fly into these openings to nest while the red-tailed hawks are too large and cannot get to them to scare them away.

BirdMaster was asked to come in and tackle the issue to keep pigeons out of these openings and return the pest control to the red-tailed hawks. BirdMaster’s team of bird control experts installed PermaMesh, a custom-fitted stainless steel mesh bird control system. This zero maintenance bird exclusion system prevents birds of all sizes from venturing into the openings to nest and instead sends them on their way. BirdMaster successfully turned the pest control reins back over to the red-tailed hawks who have shown that Fenway Park not only has a Green Monster but also green pest bird control, It’s a win-win for the Sox and the hawks.

The Godfather Part II movie poster

“Marilyn Monroe Portrait”
by Andy Warhol

The Duo Multicultural Arts Center began as a hotel in 1889 and was later transitioned into a German music union known as Astoria Hall. In the 1930s, the ballroom was converted into a theater (named Fortune Theater), providing ample place for concerts, play productions and more. John Philip Sousa helped organize the first music union in New York and held several meetings in the theater, and several Yiddish theater companies utilized the space for their productions as well. At one point, the theater was even home to a television studio in which several early TV shows were filmed. Andy Warhol, renowned pop art pioneer, set his eyes on Fortune Theater and rented it in the 1970s to showcase his own theatrical productions. Acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola also rented Fortune Theater to shoot the famous operetta scene from the American epic crime film The Godfather Part II. The Duo Multicultural Arts Center both moved into and began producing in the building in 1987. Also housed inside the five-story building is the Rod Rodgers Dance Company.

Duo Multicultural Arts Center Restoration project before and after

Over the years, the exterior of the building has taken quite a hit to its beautiful aesthetics, hiding the beauty of its façade to any and all passing by. While internal renovations have been a continual project, a $1.5 million dollar restoration project was commissioned in 2011 to return the façade to its former glory – and to revive the history the building holds to passersby. As you can see, the restoration was a marvelous success and the preservation and restoration specialists did a beautiful job. BirdMaster was honored to contribute to the restoration project by bird proofing the exterior of the building to deter pest birds and their droppings in the future. For the Duo Multicultural Arts Center, BirdMaster installed PermaNet Lite, a type of bird netting designed to blend in with a building’s exterior and be virtually invisible to the naked eye, and VolTape, an energized anti-roosting system with ultimate flexibility. All of BirdMaster’s bird proofing systems are humane and cause no harm to pest birds, but rather send them on their way safely.

On April 25, 2012, BirdMaster received the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from The New York Landmarks Conservancy for their work on the Duo Multicultural Arts Center. The new bird control system will provide low maintenance pest bird control and protection for the building for years to come.

“ ‘I’d say there’s 150, 200 pigeons up there, it gets more every day,’ said Jake Hensley.

Hensley’s spent the last two decades fighting a losing battle.

‘They’ve been a problem for years, but it’s worse this year than it’s ever been,’ said Hensley.

The Washington County courthouse maintenance director cleans bird droppings every morning.

‘We have to keep the porches and ramps washed off so people don’t have to walk through,’ said Hensley. ‘They need to get rid of them.’

The county is coming up with a plan to eliminate the problem. Some will likely be trapped and killed. The county will also remove the windows so the birds can’t roost there. But first, leaders will install sharp bird control strips on all flat surfaces.

‘The manure’s really in there,’ said Hensely. ‘I mean really in there.’

They know they won’t be able to get rid of all of the animals, but they say it’s time to do something.

‘If this keeps on, somebody’s going to get sick,’ said Hensley.

Read more: http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/nov/18/washington-county-officials-brainstorming-ways-fix-ar-1469380/