Apollo Avenue

Apollo Avenue is a short street on the north side of Nuttings Lake in Nuttings Lake Park, running about 845 feet east from the corner of Cady Street and Mulcahy Lane, across Rhodes Street and past the end of Swan Lane, to a dead end. It is the eastern part of the old Central Street of Nuttings Lake Park. Central Street was laid out in April 1910 on "Plan B" of the park, drawn by C. A. Thayer, engineer, of Providence, Rhode Island, for the Billerica Land Company (Plan Book 27, Plan 34). On that plan it is the inland street of the section, running from the Middlesex Turnpike northeasterly, parallel to South Street and Lake Street, across Peace, Cady and Rhodes Streets to Back Street. The street guide of 1930 to 1931 gives "Central (North side Nuttings lake) from Old Middlesex Turnpike easterly to near Pine," Pine Street being the present Swan Lane.

Central Street stayed a private way. In 1964 the town voted $8,500 for a drain system "in the Pine Street - Central Street - Rhodes Street section of Nuttings Lake," and in 1974 the engineering department designed more drainage for the section, Central Street included. When the selectmen renamed Pine Street in March 1988, the new Swan Lane was described as running "From Friendship Street to Central Street," and in the fall of 1988 the town discontinued the piece of Cady Street "between South Street and Central Street." The name Central Street was dropped soon afterward, in the street renaming of 1988 to 1991: the western part became Mulcahy Lane, a name in use by 1990, and the eastern part Apollo Avenue. The renamings of 1989 and 1990 are not printed in the town reports, and the reason for the name Apollo has not been found. The earliest record of the new name found is the list of private ways put before the fall town meeting of 2001, "Apollo Ave. Dead End to Rhodes St 570" feet, which also lists "Swan Lane ... to Apollo Ave."; that article was dismissed.

Apollo Avenue was accepted as a public way on May 8, 2025, at the second session of the spring town meeting, under Article 33: "Apollo Avenue, from dead end to dead end, approximate length 845' and 30' width right of way," as shown on a street layout and acceptance plan dated April 11, 2025 by GCG Associates, Inc. The vote was 158 to 14. Apollo Avenue is not one of the roads of the 1831 map accepted in 2016.

References

1. Billerica (1912, Warren H. Manning study): list of plans, "Nuttings Lake Park, Plans B and C. The Billerica Land Company, April, 1910"
2. Billerica town report 1964: town meeting votes $8,500 for a drain system in the Pine Street - Central Street - Rhodes Street section of Nuttings Lake
3. Billerica town report 1974: engineering design of Nuttings Lake drainage including Central Street, Peace, South and Rhodes Streets
4. Billerica town report 1988: Pine Street renamed Swan Lane, "From Friendship Street to Central Street," effective June 1, 1988
5. Billerica town report 1988: fall town meeting discontinues the part of Cady Street between South Street and Central Street
6. Billerica town report 2002: fall 2001 town meeting Article 25 list of private ways, "Apollo Ave. Dead End to Rhodes St 570"