Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-05
AWNINGS AND SIGNS.
The Things which Make the streets
OF Memphis Look as II they were
In MasqueradIng AttIre-A
Great Nuisance and a
Dangerous One.

No city in the land is so covered up with
awnings of wood and iron, or so enveloped
with stationary and swinging signs as is Mem
PMS. 1t IS growing nuisance. 1t gives
Nam, Front, Shelby, Second and other
streets the appearance of country town.
Scores OF the heavy one and two-story avn
ings on our principal streets are in a danger
Gus condition-liable at any moment to come
crashing to the pavement. Many of the
posts that uphold these life-traps are rotten,
while Others are not secured properly Heavy
signs extending over and across the side
walks are, in great numbers, in an insecure
condition, and, like the sword Of Damocles,
they hang suspended by thread, as it were,
above the heads OF passing pedestrians The
swing-fopplng signs are another nuisance.
Many OF them hang so low that people have
to stoop In order to avoid running Into them.
In northern and eastern cities no such traps
as awnings and signs of this dangerous
character are allowed to be erected. They
spoil the appearance of any building, and,
indeed, many business men have begun to
see it in that light, and have removed these
eye sores from in front of their stores Oh
Main street. The only law on the subject in
force in the Taxing District is the following;
yet even that law, although IN force, is not
enforced:
STREET-AwNINGS.
ARTICLE 8, SECTION g. No awning shall be erected
fronting any street so as to obsTuct the sidewalk,
In any wise by insecurity or fault in construction
thereof, to endaDger the lives or limbs of persons
passing under them; nor shall any sign-board be
erected less than nine feet from the ground or pave
ment nor be so erected as In any manner to obsruct
the same.
Sec. 8. 1t shall not be lawful for any person doing
any business to follow the same, unless his her or
eeibe Letters over the front door OF such Mace Of
business, etc.
The penalty for violating the above sections
of the act Is by fine of not less than one dol
lar nor more than fifty dollars. Scores of the
awnings and signs are violations OF the above
sections of the act, by reason of their distance
from the ground and their insecurity, so dan
gerous to people passing beneath.
TRAMP AFTER SIGNS.
An APPEAL reporter yesterday promenaded
up and down Main, Second, Front, Shelby,
Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Gayoso
and Beale streets, and took surveys of the
awnings and signs of the times. The bust
ness streets, from end to end, are almost COW
cred with awnings, good, bad and Indifferent,
and are plagued with all kinds OF signs, both
of the stationary and swinging character.
Those whose business takes them out on
stormy nights experience the danger inca
dent to walking on the sidewalks, when the
wild winds make awnings aud signs swing
and groan as If in agony, and when swinging
signs flap themselves into fury and threaten
to knock the belated traveller into tine middle
of the following week. if not farther.
MAIN STREET.
The only Main street stores In front of
which there are no AWNINGS or signs, between
Poplar and Beale streets, are the following:
BetlceeH Poplar and AdamS.-Wocdruff &
Co., carriage manufacturers; Dammann X
Klein, wholesale liquors.
Bett0een adams and JeDerS0n.-H. E5ch,
cigars; William Miller, boots and shoes; Il.
Stotz & Co., confo ctionery; Bryson & Camp,
furniture.
Betl0eers Jefferson and Madison.-B. To-
wenstein' & Bros, dry goods; II. Hsrder,
boots and shoes; Leubrie Bros, fancy goods
and notions; L. LoWenstien, clothing; Young
IL Bro, books and stationery; Wanamaker &
Brown, clothing; Bejach & Co., retail dry
goods; Floyd's ladies' restaurant; George
Bergman, cigars; the Bethel block, occupied
by the Bluff City insurance company and the
Office of James Speed, ticket agent of the
Louisville and Nashville railroad.
BetIceen Madison and UniOH.-The State
national, Fourth national and German ma
tonal banks-these buildings are receiving
coat of pant, which adds considerably to
their appearance; Rice, Six & Co., wholesale
dry goods; Friedman Bros, wholesale boots
and shoes; Johnston & Vance, cloth
ing; Schwab & Co., wholesale cloth
ing and gentlemens furnishing goods;
Mitchell Hoffman & Co., farr' ture: l. H
L
Lee, cigars and tobacco-their building is re-
| ceiving coat of paint all over, which gives
| it a pleasing appearance; Hill & Mitchell,
boots and shoes, wholesale; Joiner. Lem1i on
| & Gale, wholesale dry goods; Wetter IL Co.,
| stoves, oils ana tinware; w. n. WIkerson
& Co., wholesale druggists; W. IL S. Jack &
Co., ehinaware dealers.
Beti0een Union and Beale.-Joseph Tagg,
wallpaper; NALL & Lamb, florists and nur-
serymen-thelr building has recently been re-
painted.
FRONT STREET.
Every store along Front street, from Poplar
to Beale, has awnings and signs in front Ct
them.
UNION STREET,
from Front to Second; Loewenstine Bros,
dry goods.
MONROE STREET,
from Front to Main; ADalancHe office; r.
! wins saloon.
MADISON STREET.
From Front to Second.-Emmet bank,
Vicksburg packet company; G. B. Wexford,
+ insurance agents; White-line transportation
I company, Western dispatch, Hoffman's fire
insurance company of New York, Bank of
Commerce, Union and Planters bank, Ne
/ chsnics bank, First national bank, Peoples
/ insurance company; Greene & Beasley, in
! surance agents; Simmons i Co, insurance
| insurance company, Niederer's saloon, Mis-
! sissippi Valley insurance company, Planters
| insurance company.
SECOND STREET.
From Adams to MadiSOn-The following
houses have no awnings or overhanglng
| signs: ]. &. A. P. Morgan, carriage dealers.
A small sign in front of the APPEAL office
| overhangs part of the pavement. From
Madison street down to Beale, awnings and
hanging signs prevail.
COURT STREET.
On North Court the Southern express COM
pany building has no awnings or hanging
signs, neither has the Tennessee club build
ing, on South Court street.
AN IMPROVEMENT.
If those owning or occupying stores on the
above principal business streets would re-
move the awnings and signs that extend
| across and over the sidewalks, also remove
the swingin G. signs, and pant up the fronts
of the stores, these streets would present a
pleasing and business appearance, and would
make Memphis look like a city. instead of an
overgrown country town. No charge is
made for the above little advertisements for
those who have their places of business I'M
adorned by signs and awnings, nor is any
oh foe Rba oil OfhnT