Meet Irishman Charles Logue, the Man who Built Fenway Park

Charles E. Logue, courtesy of Logue Family

Meet Charles E. Logue (1858-1919), the man who build Fenway Park in 1913 as well as other iconic buildings in greater Boston. An immigrant County Derry in Ireland, Logue emigrated to Boston in 1881 at age 23, part of a massive wave of Irish who came to Boston in the 19th century, escaping faming, landlord abuses and political oppression, while seeking economic opportunity.

He formed the Charles Logue Building Company in 1890 and was quickly recognized for his carpentry and construction skills. Boston historian Dennis Ryan writes in his classic study, Beyond the Ballot Box, that Logue became a major contractor in the city, building Boston College’s campus as well as churches for the Boston Archdiocese. He was part of a storied tradition of Irish builders and skilled craftsmen in the Boston area.

In 1905, Mayor Patrick A. Collins appointed Logue to the Schoolhouse Committee, citing the need for a practical builder, and Mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, President John F. Kennedy’s grandfather, relied on Logue to build a “busier, better Boston.”

Groundbreaking, courtesy of Boston Public Library

But Fenway Park would become Logue’s enduring landmark. Local officials, sports officials and the contractors broke ground for the park on September 25, 1911, and the stadium was finished the following spring, a considerable achievement given the harsh New England winters.

Photo courtesy of John P. Healey Library, UMass/ Boston

Logue's descendants have proudly carried on the family business for decades through their company, Logue Engineering, located in Hingham, Massachusetts. Read more details here.

Statues outside of Fenway Park, courtesy of Massport

Learn more about Fenway Park's numerous Irish connections over the past 160 years, from political rallies to Gaelic Games. Details here.

Fenway Park is the final stop on the 20-site Irish Heritage Trail, which starts at the Rose Kennedy Garden along the waterfront, passes Boston City Hall, the Irish Famine Memorial, the Massachusetts State House and Copley Square. You can pick up a free copy of the Irish Heritage Trail map at the Boston Common Visitors Center , located at 139 Tremont Street and West Street.

For year round information on Irish culture, heritage and history in greater Boston, visit the Boston Irish Tourism Association.

Research + Text, Michael Quinlin

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