Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-17
NUMBERING THE STREETS.
Few More Suagestions-fiow 70 Avoid
Inconvenience.
To The Editor of the DISPATCH:


Inconvenience.
RICHMOND, August 16, 1884
| To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
The subject OF street names and num-
| bers is one that gives me much concern
| and annoyance every year. j am glad,
| therefore. the matter is being agitated at
| this time, and hope IL will incIte the mem.
hers OF the City Council to some action in
the matter before october next. when the
canvass for the next City Directory will be
commenced. An experience Of seventeen
wears in the directory business, during
which time have published IN the cities
OF Washington. Baltimore, and Philadel-
phia, has made me familiar with the sub
iect Of naming streets and numbering
houses in fact, the very nature OF my euei-
ness makes 1t necessary for me TO have az
much dealing with names OF streets as
with names OF people.
For the numerical and other streets eX-
tending north and south the suggestion OF
West End " is he one, TO my mind. 10
which transition can be most readily m,,le,
less disturbing to the present order, ana the
Onlu one that will stand all time without
necessity Of change, TO say nothing OF the
expense, the inconvenience and annoyance
heads, and other advertisements changed
| and bringing their new locations into faIni-
liar use and recollection would be great,
| and if the change depended on them-and
they, after all, are the ones whose views,
| interests, and convenience should be first
| considerable would never be made. The
| plan OF dividing the city into east and
west-and there viii always be an east
! end and a wes' end, however you name or
number the streets-is therefore, is seems
! 10 me, the most feasible, in that there would
be less change in street names and house
numbers, The change in the latter causing
rs much IL not more annoyance than in the
former. There is no need Of changing the
present arrangement Of numerical streets
but those in Rockets should be numbered so
as 10 follow the present ones in their regu-
ular sequence.
As stated In your editorial OF yesterday
morning. there is no reason why street
should lose its name because Of being in
terrupted by blind or closed square, as in
! the case OF Foushee, which terminates at
| Rrosd and begins again at Clay as II. James.
Foushee street should be allowed 10 remain
as il is, the dividing line between east and
west; but, II thought advisable, its name
might be changed to "Central avenue" or
SUCH Quiet Ildlllt It's Noulu III N>tU iUuIVitr
its character and purpose. The streets
west OF Foushee should be First west. Sc
cOnd west. &c. II the streets are numbered
from central point it will make no differ
ence how much the city may grow IN either
direction: the additional streets can always
be given thcir proper numbers. But il the
numbering be commenced at the outside
edge or limit. when more OF the country
shall be incorporated and other streets laid
out no number can be given them, unless
the orGcr Of numbering be gone over so as
to inc,r1G them.
know the idea prevails that Rockets is
a completed part OF the city, bat such Is
not the case, as each year solid and sub
stantial houses are being built, streets inn
proved, &c. This year the Richmond
Cedar-Works Company has put up large
buildings. and as that part Of the city is at
the head Of navigation no doubt many
other such establishments will he erected
there III the near future. Already there
are extensive brick-kilus, which employ
large force, and il is hoped some use Will
lie found for the Brewery building and
Park other than picnic ground. As the
manufacturing establishments increase,
houses for the employees will be built.
which, IN order 10 escape city taxation,
will be Just outside the city limits. The
manufacturing establishments already built
arc outside. From time 10 time the city
reaches out and takes in these buildings,
and il would surprise almost any one to
see from q map Of twenty-five wears ago
how much Of the present limits were then
in the county.
For those streets extending east and west
the Dispatch idea Is the one, rs the river
| forms "a boundary beyond which there is
| little probability OF Richmond ever going.
| The north and south sufliXes should he
dropped-tbey ought never TO have been
adopted-and the streets given the names
! properly belonging TO them-A, Is, c, ID,
L, &c. These alphabetical appellatiOns
have been substituted for names the initial
| Of which in most cases corresponds with
the letter belonging 10 them. az Arch (A)
| Byrd OBJ. Canal (C), Franklin F), Grace
! 90. dc. This idea was carried out not
only in the central part, but also in the
eastern and western portions. In the West
End A Of the middle section was extended
by Albemarle, b by Beverly, & by Cumber-
land, ID by Dover, + by Fedeial, &C.
Since the extension OF Cary west OF Belvi-
dere the name OF Dover has been aban-
doned, and Federal has given place to
FLOYD, thus changing the name. hui not
tho letter.
ON Church Hill L has been named Leigh,
NJ Mason. n Nelson, o Otis, Pendleton,
and Q Qsince. Except in the case Of Leigh
street they are more frequently called by
their letter than name. The river forms a
natural boundary or point OF beginning at
which these lettered streets should com.
mence. Leaving ont because Of its SINH
larity 10 l, there would be allowance made
for twenty-five squares, which, il all laid
out and incorporated, would extend the
city limits far beyond Baeon's Quarter
branch. its present northern boundary.
Streets running obliquely might be called
ayenucs-as Grove avenue, Brook avenue,
Nenable avenue, &e. Here, again, there is
no necessity for change except from street
to avenue. When necessary to name new
avenues they night be given those OF
the cities, towns, or counties Of Virginia,
making their relative position in the city
correspond with those after which they
shall be named in the state as In the case Of
Williamsburg in the east, which already
fills the bill. This being the capital city, il
would be veIy nice compliment to the cities
and counties OF the State, and make our
people familiar with their names aud loca-
lions. In this way there would be no dan.
ger Of ever having two streets Of same
name, as happens now In dozen or more
cases, and 70 avoid which broke up the
naming OF the streets ia the West End after
the Presidents. Adams, Jefferson. Mad.-
son. and Monroe worked well, but when
they reached the second Mr.. Adams the
succession was broken.
l fear ! have already extended the sx-
preston OF my views TO too great length,
and will only say in conclusion that II the
streets were numbered aud lettered there
would be little difficulty in nndieg any
place. II would be Just as easy to Ind
numbers ON streets extending north and
south then rs II Is TO find them on those
running east and west now, as. for in-
STANCE, the number 5i2 on al the nume-
riesi streets would be between Main (E)
and franklin (F). because as 5l2k between
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