Yawkey Way

Yawkey Way intersection with Boylston Street in 2018

Fenway Park main entrance on Yawkey Way in 2007

Yawkey Way sign and the Boston Citgo sign in 2006

Yawkey Way is the former name of a short street located in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood of the American city of Boston, Massachusetts. It was originally a continuation of Jersey Street, part of the Back Bay scheme of alphabetical streets,^[1] until 1977, when the two blocks immediately adjacent to Fenway Park were renamed for Tom Yawkey, owner of the Boston Red Sox from 1933 to 1976.^[2][3] It ran for two blocks from Brookline Avenue in the north to Boylston Street in the south, where it became Jersey Street.

On April 26, 2018, the city of Boston announced it would revert the name of the street to its original name of Jersey Street.^[4] The change became official on May 3.^[5]

Fenway Park's address was 4 Yawkey Way.^[6] The original address was 24 Jersey Street.^[7] After the 2018 name change, the park's address is now 4 Jersey Street.^[5]

Renaming[]

In December 2015, The Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker proposed renaming Yawkey Way and Yawkey station, citing Tom Yawkey's history with baseball's color line.^[8]

On August 17, 2017, amid heightened media coverage of the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials in the United States, Red Sox owner John Henry said the team would lead a campaign to change the street name because the team was the last in Major League Baseball to integrate. Henry said, "I am still haunted by what went on here a long time before we arrived."^[9][10][6]

In February 2018, it was announced that the Red Sox filed a petition with the city of Boston to restore Yawkey Way to its original name, Jersey Street.^[11] The change was opposed by the Yawkey Foundation, a charitable group funded by Yawkey's estate.^[12]

The Boston Public Improvement Commission heard public input on the proposal at its meeting on March 15, from supporters and opponents. The Commission could have voted on the change on March 29;^[13] however, after hearing additional input that day, the vote was delayed until April 12.^[14] On April 12, a decision was further postponed until April 26.^[15]

On April 26, the Boston Public Improvement Commission unanimously approved the name change back to Jersey Street.^[16] The change from Yawkey Way to Jersey Street was made official on May 3, 2018.^[5]

Related items[]

On June 22, 2017, the neighboring Yawkey Way Extension was renamed David Ortiz Drive in honor of recently retired Red Sox all-star David Ortiz. The honor came a day before Ortiz's number was retired by the team.^[17]

In light of his request to change the name of Yawkey Way, some Massachusetts lawmakers have suggested that Henry remove Mr. and Mrs. Yawkey's initials written in morse code from the scoreboard on the left field wall. Newton Democrat Ruth Balser, co-sponsor of a bill to study the renaming of nearby Yawkey station, said, "I would hope that the Red Sox organization would consider that, as they consider supporting a change to the street." In an August 2017 email, Red Sox spokesperson Zineb Curran wrote about removing the initials, "Our current efforts are focused on petitioning the city to change the street name."^[18]

In April 2018, when reverting the Yawkey Way name to Jersey Street was approved, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) stated that it will also rename the nearby Yawkey station.^[16] On March 28, 2019, the MBTA announced that the station would be renamed Lansdowne station (after nearby Lansdowne Street, which runs along the back of the Green Monster on the opposite side of Fenway Park from Jersey Street) effective April 8.^[19]

It has been noted that Jersey Street, named in the late 1850s, is a reference to the sixth Earl of Jersey, George Augustus Frederick Child Villiers, who profited from the British slave trade.^[20][21]

References[]

Further reading[]

• "Setting the Record Straight". yawkeyfoundation.org. 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2018. The Globe's characterizations of Tom Yawkey, presented as a generally accepted viewpoint at a time when its publisher is seeking to rename Yawkey Way, are a prime example of why it is important to look behind perceptions to see what is fact and what is fiction.
• "Yawkey Foundations Statement" (PDF). yawkeyfoundation.org. April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018. This a sad day for all of us at the Foundations. Tom Yawkey deserved to have his name live on at Fenway Park. We can’t change today’s decision, but we remain hopeful that he will be remembered as the good and decent man he truly was.

External links[]

• Information about Fenway Park and gates on Yawkey Way
• Yawkey Way on Google Maps
• David Ortiz Drive on Google Maps

Route map: