At a Glance

Forming the link between Downtown Boston to the east and Allston and Brighton to the west, the Fenway is a residential and commercial hub for Boston. Fenway is best known for the presence of historic Fenway Park, where Boston's beloved Red Sox play, and Frederick Law Olmsted's meandering Emerald Necklace. Fenway, and its sub-neighborhoods of Kenmore Square and Audubon Circle, were annexed by Boston from the nearby Town of Brookline in the 1870s. 

Fenway is home to a buzzing mix of families, young professionals, and students. Housing stock includes stately brick row houses, lining the Charles River and Emerald Necklace, alongside flashy new apartment and condominium towers near Fenway Park. Boylston Street is home to Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Huntington Avenue, which forms the southeast edge of the neighborhood, is lined by Symphony Hall, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Huntington Theater, and New England Conservatory. Huntington Avenue is celebrated as Boston’s “Avenue of the Arts”.  

The commercial hubs of the district include Kenmore Square, Landsdowne Street, Brookline Avenue and Boylston Street. The Kenmore Business Association supports area business owners, and throughout the year the square teems with students and visitors enjoying its many restaurants and hotels. Lansdowne Street is famous for its music venues and nightlife, including the House of Blues, and the street comes alive with outdoor vendors on Red Sox game days. Brookline Avenue and Boylston Street is popular for its restaurants, bars, movie theater, and national retailers.

Fenway is home to numerous academic and medical institutions. These include Emmanuel, Simmons, and Wheelock Colleges, MassArt, Wentworth Institution of Technology, and the Mass College of Pharmacy, all members of the Colleges of the Fenway consortium, as well as Northeastern and Boston Universities. The area also hosts many renowned medical institutions, including Fenway Community Health Center and the nearby hospitals in the Longwood Medical Area. Together, these institutions are supported by the Longwood Collective.

Want to learn about and share your ideas on planning and development in your neighborhood? Email our Community Engagement team at PlanningEngagement@boston.gov to learn about upcoming engagement opportunities. For information about planning context, zoning, or Planning Department processes, please contact [email protected].