Chaffee Lends a “Green Thumb” to Fenway’s Garden Roof
Fenway’s Garden Roof In a recent article Fenway Park announced the creation of a new rooftop garden behind gate A in the most historic section of the ball park, named “Fenway Farms”. The 5,000-square-foot roof space will generate an estimated 4,000 pounds of produce annually, and will be used in food sold at the park, including dishes served at the EMC Club, the exclusive restaurant and seating area located behind home plate. Green (vegetated) roofs have been in existence since ancient times. The first known historical references to manmade gardens above grade were the ziggurats (stone pyramidal stepped towers) of ancient Mesopotamia, built from the fourth millennium until around 600 B.C. In France, gardens planted in the 13th Century thrive atop a Benedictine abbey. Norwegians developed sod roofs centuries ago as a means of thermally insulating their buildings. In fact, sod homes are still used as protection against extremely cold winters in Norway and the United States. Five roof gardens were installed atop the seventh floor of the Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York, between 1933 and 1936. And while Fenway Farns itself is getting plenty of press, many people don’t realize the work and planning that goes into creating the roof that can sustain such an agricultural accomplishment. But Chaffee Roofing did. In 2013, Chaffee Roofing replaced and improved the roof behind […]