The Friends of Byrd Park is a civic group that meets monthly to promote and maintain the Park.
Richmond, VA
23220
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William Byrd Park, originally known as New Reservoir Park, is a municipal park located on the north side of the James River about three miles west of downtown Richmond, Virginia. The park is generally bounded on the north by the Downtown Expressway (I-195) and Lakeview Avenue, on the east by S. Robinson Street and Hampton Street, on the south by Pump House Road and Maymont Park, and on the west by Rugby Road and Blanton Avenue. The main vehicular access into the park is South Boulevard from the north, which winds through the park becoming Blanton Avenue, then Park Drive before crossing the James River on the Boulevard Bridge.
The park, comprising 275 acres, includes areas for both active and passive recreational use, as well as distinctive landscape features, architectural resources, memorial objects, and public utility structures. The history of land use within the park extends from colonial frontier and antebellum estates, to late-nineteenth century pleasure grounds, municipal waterworks, and city tree nursery, to the city’s most heavily used park in the twenty-first century. The most notable natural defining feature is the park’s topography, which incorporates relatively flat areas, as well as steep wooded ravines, gently rolling hills, mature tree cover, and associated undergrowth.
The Virginia War Memorial Carillon (#127-0387), which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, sits on one of the highest points of elevation in the city. Notable man made defining features include the reservoir, the man made lakes, former quarry sites, designed landscapes, the internal circulation patterns, playing fields, and buildings. Byrd Park retains a high level of all aspects of its historical integrity. In addition to the original park improvements, such as the reservoir and lakes, the park’s feeling and association are particularly intact. Although later additions, such as the Virginia War Memorial Carillon, and changes in amenities, such as the creation of athletic fields, occurred over the years, these elements enhance the park’s setting and reinforce its status within the city park system.
