Who is yawkey way named after

The long streets running east-west were designed to follow the contours of the Charles River, with names that referenced the Boston's Puritan roots. Adding a dash of elegance, they were named in alphabetical order: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester and Hereford. It was an era of renewed relations with England, the American Revolution now 75 years in the past. And what could be more aristocratic than, well, the aristocracy? And so, each alphabetical street was named after a British Earl.

And in that instance the titles themselves were even used on our streets. And the progression continues the other side of Massachusetts Avenue, developed a few years later, though not in a strict grid. Jersey, Kilmarnock, and Miner.

All alphabetical. All British Earls. Sammarco says these streets were named more for the titles than the people who held them, but you may still be wondering who the Earl of Jersey was when the street was first christened. Lord Jersey, the 10th and current Earl of Jersey, who I tracked down on Twitter and — to my great surprise —responded. Boston's Yawkey Way outside Fenway Park will be renamed due to its racist legacy.

Show Caption. Hide Caption. Share your feedback to help improve our site! The debate over Yawkey Way was part of the larger national debate over markers, memorials and statues that are now perceived as racist or incompatible with modern sensibilities. Dozens of monuments to the Confederacy have been removed in the past year. The Public Improvement Commission noted that other businesses on the street had unanimously approved of the name change.

Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh did not say whether he agreed with the change but noted that doing so alone would not address the problem of racism. The city renamed a stretch of the road David Ortiz Drive last summer in honor of the retired Red Sox designated hitter. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Yawkey Way change OK'd due to racist past. Boston Red Sox.