Fenway Park theater sets date for groundbreaking

The backers of a planned performing-arts venue next to Fenway Park at 12-28 Lansdowne Street plan to officially break ground on the theater on November 22.

The approximately 91,500-square-foot, four-level venue at the intersection of Lansdowne and Ipswich streets in Fenway is scheduled to open in fall 2021 with a capacity for 5,400 people. It was recently dubbed the MGM Music Hall at Fenway, after MGM Resorts International acquired the naming rights.

The developer is an affiliate of the ownership group of the Red Sox and Fenway Park.

The venue will not only likely add to the allure of the home of the Red Sox, but will boost Boston’s performing-arts heft overall. How in particular? By fitting into that sweet spot between smaller venues that accommodate fewer than 2,500 patrons and larger arenas—like Fenway Park—that accommodate tens of thousands.

The MGM Music Hall at Fenway will host events year-round too; and it’s part of a larger project to boost amenities in and around the ballpark, according to another city filing. That includes around 32,000 square feet of new fan amenities in a planned two-story expansion of the existing Fenway Garage and improvements to the surrounding streetscape, with wider sidewalks along Lansdowne and Ipswich streets among those. Stay tuned.