Wilfred Emory Cutshaw (1838-1907)

Wilfred Cutshaw graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1858 and served as a lieutenant colonel of artillery in the Confederate army. As Richmond's city engineer (1873-1907), he instituted an innovative system of civic planning that transformed the cityscape. Cutshaw oversaw the construction of numerous schools, armories, markets, and a new city hall. He established a program of urban forestry, reflected in modern Richmond’s tree-lined streets. In William Byrd Park, one of several city parks he designed, Cutshaw combined the practicality of a new municipal water works and reservoir with scenic promenades, roadways, and lakes.