in 2018 in 2006 In 1977, the two blocks of Jersey Street immediately adjacent to
Fenway Park were renamed for
Tom Yawkey, owner of the
Boston Red Sox from 1933 to 1976. In December 2015,
The Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker proposed renaming Yawkey Way and
Yawkey station, citing Tom Yawkey's
prolonged resistance to racial integration. On August 17, 2017, amid heightened media coverage of the
removal of Confederate monuments and memorials in the United States, Red Sox owner
John W. 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." 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. The change was opposed by the Yawkey Foundation, a charitable group funded by Yawkey's estate. 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; however, after hearing additional input that day, the vote was delayed until April 12. On April 12, a decision was further postponed until April 26. On April 26, the Boston Public Improvement Commission unanimously approved the name change back to Jersey Street. The change from Yawkey Way to Jersey Street was made official on May 3, 2018. The ballpark's original address was 24 Jersey Street. With the 1977 name change, it became 4 Yawkey Way. ====