The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-28
DIR STREET NOMENCLATURE.

idIge LEAKS SHal JOBS aS wei Us large jus,
all of which should be carefully looked after.
Most of the business which comes before the
city legislature, and the State Legislature as
WE'LL seems to be of immediate importance
and narrow in its influence yet there are
measures that should be weighed in the light
of a century to come. One Of these is the
naming of the streets. This seems to be a
small matter, yet its magnitude is it's greatest
hindrance except that spirit in government
which is so fatal to individual success mo
hurry about it." 1t would be instruct
i've, as well as amusing, to record
the names of streets that have already disap-
peared, as we'll as many that yet remain.
From the first the Council has exercised its
right to change the names of streets, but it
has heretofore been done spasmodically and
locally, and without any regard to uniformity
or public convenience. To one not over
burdened with reverence it is amusing to see
how many Of the "original proprietors" of an
outlot or inlot have sought to perpetuate
their names by bestowing them upon some
street or alley. All that might be tolerated
if it were harmless, which it is not; for it
often furnishes two or three names to the
same street in less than mile, a thing very
confusing to citizens, as we'll as to strangers.
But much of this has been corrected already,
and everyone is surprised to find how soon
the old confusing names pass out of mind.
Who can tell where Pitts street once WASH
Who can find Bingen street. or Bolton, or
Barrows or Cady, or Dentpe, or Ivy, or any
of dozen or inore that have disappeared
from the directory Now there are fifty more
names that should disappear by being alb
sorbed in other names to the same street.
Why should Malott avenue, after running two
squares, become Hill avenue for a mile or
more, and end in Hillside avenue? Why
should Missouri street become Howard street
for six squares and then become Lenox street?
Why should Sixth street become Lincoln
avenueg Why should there be two Eighth
streets, and another street be both Eleventh
and Twelfth, and so on by the scoree
The remedy for this is to mature and adopt
a revised system of names, such as will wear
for a century. What if, in this revision.
nothing but Meridian street remains as at
present. not even Washington street, During
the first years of our city life or town life that
thoroughfare was known as Main street
That was significant then. and will
remain significant forever. The diagonals
were appropriately named northeast north
west southeast, southwest diagonals. The
names were as short and musical as the pres
ent names, and they at once located the streets.
Why should First street be located where
Eleventh street ought to be- and Twelfth be
the name of Twenty-seconds No city in
America is better planned than Indianapolis
for system of names that will be at once eu-
phonious and indicative. Main street! Morid-
ian street, Circle street! Everybody will at
once concede the propriety and fitness of each
name. Then let First street north, Second
street north, First street south, Second
street south and SO on, designate every street
running east and west Let intermediate and
short streets be named accordingly, thus: Let
Lockerbie be Three-and-a-half, Wabash, One
and-a-half, and so on Streets running north
and south should recognize Meridian
as dividing line. and A street
east B street east. or A street
west B street west, and so on. Why should
the misnomers of east, west, north and
south be retained whore they have no signifi-
canoe? Again: Why should we have Bell
and Belle street, two Columbia avenues and
two Columbia streets, two brakes, two Grants,
Harrison street and Harrison avenue two
Hill streets and Hill avenue, jefferson
street and Jefferson avenue, two John streets,
Lincoln lane and Lincoln avenue a Mad
ison street and Madison avenue, Michigan
street. a Michigan avenue and Michigan
road, Peru street and Peru avenue, two
Plum streets and Plum avenue, one
Sharpe street and two Sharpe avenues, two
Smith streets, a Valley street and Valley
drive, William and a Williams street,
two Wilson streets, besides the duplicates
of many of these in the immediate suburbs
especially West Indianapolis
We repeat that our wholse system of street
nomenclature needs revising. It should not