BYRD PARK – our streets from A to Z
Source: Facts and Legends of Richmond Area Streets by Thomas F. Mustian*


ADDISON Street was named for Edmund Addison, who, with James Allison, had a business association and partnership, Allison & Addison, which began in 1865 with a fertilizer factory and later real estate ventures.

The BOULEVARD originally was called Clover Street when the city water reservoir was situated in what was then Henrico County. The City of Richmond widened Clover Street from 40 feet to 104 feet, and hence, the new name.

DAVIS Avenue was initially known as Cedar Street. The name changed after the monument to Confederate President Jefferson Davis was erected on Monument Avenue and Cedar Street.

IDLEWOOD Avenue was originally Beverley Street. The Idlewood Amusement Park, located near a newly formed Byrd Park, prompted the name change.

LAKEVIEW Avenue faces the view of Swan Lake, hence the name.

MAPLEWOOD Avenue was given its name by the real estate developer for this residential street.

MEADOW Street was named for the residence of Richmond businessman Charles E. Worthman. His home was then considered the far West End.

ROBINSON Street honors a family of early property holders who owned land in the area of the street in 1906. Some of the family members were Conway, Moncure and John.

ROSEWOOD Avenue never had a rosewood tree on the street, but the same real estate developers who named Maplewood must have started this woodsy trend.

SHIELDS Avenue recognizes the Sheilds family – note their original spelling, as city markers spell it with an “I” before “E”. Shields Lake in Byrd Park was the site area from the Robinson family farm, “Poplar Vale.” Both the Sheilds and Robinson families are buried in a joint cemetery next to the Byrd Park Round House between Fountain Lake and Swan Lake.

SPOTTSWOOD Road honors an early Virginia Lieutenant Governor (1710-1722), Colonel Alexander Spottswood.

STAFFORD Avenue possibly gets its name from Stafford County, Virginia, which was named for Stafford County in England.
Interesting notes about Thomas F. Mustian, the author of Facts and Legends of Richmond Area Streets:

Mustian lived at the corner of Grayland and Shields Avenues as a child, curious about why the street he lived on, Chaffin Street, had been renamed Grayland Avenue. While some older neighbors had their speculations, from a property owner named Gray, to the fact that many houses had been painted gray, Mustian never found an answer. His curiosity grew to such interest as an adult that it led to a hobby that created the 1977 printing of his little book.