New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-09
DUPLICATE STREET NAMES.
TRYING TO GET RID OF THEM IN BROOK
LYN
A COMMITTEE OF ALDERMEN THAT IS ATTEMPT
ING TOO MUcH-oNLY ACTUAL DUPLICA-
TIONS SHOUI.D BE DONE AWAY WITH.

but Judging by what the Committee on Streets did
last week 1t Is evident that that there is great
danger of OVERRIDING the matter. The plan OF
wplng out long-estabshed names. like Clnon-ave..
Washing ton-ave. and Columbia Heights Is utterly
absurd. for the OF name first with street
and then with avenue" Is not duplication. and
causes no confusion. Fortuna tely. the people In
terested will have chance TO express their opinions
on the subject. and II IL incredible that such pan
can receive the approval OF the entire Board and OF
the Mayor
1t stands to reason that a city ought not to contain
two or more streets with the same name. Just as
the Postofice Department will not permit the same
name to be borne by two postoffices In one state
Formerly the confusion and trouble resulting from
name Implications were greater than they are now,
for there series OF streets with numerical des-
ignaons In what Is called the Eastern District-al-
though 1t should have been termed the Northern
District-and another series in the southern part
OF the city. The latter the more important,
inasmuch as ii ran up into the sixties before the
then city limit was reached. end was then carried
on In what are now the Thirty and Thrty-first
wards. and about ten years ago the names OF the
Eastern District streets were changed
1t is a curious fact that people who visit that
part Of the city only occasionally still confused
when trying 10 recall the new names or those
streets. and have difficulty in telling whether In
going up from the river Roebling-st. comes before
Havemcyer-st. or vice In the cases Of sew
OF these streets the names OF other streets or
avenues OF which they virtually continuation
were carried all the way through, as with Bedford
ave Marcy-ave. Rodney Hooper-st. and others
With the annexation OF the wards beginning
with the Twenty-sixth. which came into the city ten
years ago this summer. there were added to the
streets Of the city a number which repeated exist
ing ames but no comprehensive and consistent
plan has been adopted for doing away with the
Implications Now that the city IL complete and
no more towns remain 10 be annexed. Il Is clearly
time that the work should be taken In hand.
AS the first step the Aldermens committee had
prepared a list OF oil streets which have the same
designations in whole or in part. Thus. for in
stance the list shows that there are seven thor
oughfares containing the word Prospective Pros
poet SIS. two Prospec; ayes Prospect Place Pros
pect Terrace and Prospect Park West. The last
named. by-the-way. IL one OF the newest names
added 10 the street directory. being given 70 the
part OF Ninth-ave lying along Prospect Park The
change was desired by the residents Of the avenue
o. whom there not many. bit 1t cannot be con-
sidored rational one. since II nterferes with the
scheme o, numbered avenues in which Ninth-ave
had It's appropriate place. Such change tends to
Increase rather than diminish confusion was
pointed ont the time
II IL obvious that there should not be two Pros
poet sta nor two Prospect ayes. but IL would be
absurd 10 change the name OF Prospect Place
really tho most important Of them all-smply
because contains the same principal word Neither
Is there any sound FOR doing away with
Prospect Terrace. which. despite is high sounding
tide is merely alley hall a block long down In
The Second Ward The principle which should
govern the Aldermen in doing their work is 10 get
ri O, all actual Implications. Two streets or two
avenues with the same name should not be permit
ted but no one can seriously object 10 name that
Is applied once TO street and once 10 an avenue
and perhaps used third time to designate
place" Bedfori-st Bedford-ave. and Bedford
Place 10 not necessarily produce confusion. though
fHo only nr.O Of q o
importance. the other TWO being each only one
block long
SOME OF THE IMPLICATIONS
In the list made up for the Aldermen some OF the
publications noted are misleading. For example.
Prospective IL set down az running from Gowahus
Bay 10 the city line and another Prospective. as
extending from tho city line 20 Fort Hsmilton-ave
when practically the second II an extension or tho
first and the latest street directories regard the
TWO as one So there IL one Sumncr-ave.. noted as
running from Hopk'ns-s,. 10 Fu'on-st.. and another
from Rroadwny = Flushing ave- here again the
two are virtually the same, and the second only
one block in length. Is sometimes known as sum-
uer Place Bedrord-av and other parallel avenues
are also entered twice apparently for no reason ex-
cent that the extensions Of them were known by
IN. same names before Fla,bush was annexed to
the city. .,, .. - ,a ,.,ei
out are az follows Two Bay sts.. one In Red HOOK,
the other Greenpolnt: two Builer SITS one in NE
Eastern District. The other in Flatbush; two Ford
sis in the Twenty ninth Wnrd the other IN IN, Inc
Tweniy-nInth Ward two Front SITS. one near huI,
ton Ferry the Other in The Eastern District three
Henry SIS the second and third in the new wards:
two Hubbard SITS. both In the new wards Two
irving Places two Johnson SITS. two Lake SIS:
two Lawrence sis two Lexington ayes, two marker
sis two Mill SITS two Montgomery SITS TWO lean lean
ards SITS two KdgewooI ayes. two sherman SITS,
Two sullivan SITS. TWO Vernon ayes, t"o W. w,
ton AYES one In Parkve; TWO west SIS Two "rs'
aves two Nest Ninth sis.. two Woodblne sis
This lis; may not be absolutely ACCURATE OUT
nearly so.
HOW CHANGES SHOULD BE MADE.
The principle which should guide the Common
Council In making changes IS to do away WIFE al
actnal dunlicofions As a city official said IN talk
Ing about the matter;
ut is preposterous 10 say that the use OF .'e
same term 70 designate street. an avenue anu
place constitutes a duplication. To one person III
a thousand perhaps the Idea OF n Clnton-st ana a
Clnion-ave may he confusion: certainly not the
slightest confusion s caused In the mind oil
any person who been in the city long enough 70
be called n Brookynite In New-foih' hS Is "ei
known the numbered streets cross the numbered
avenues all over the upper part OF tho city II
any one should propose to change, say the names
of the avenues because Of the confusion thus pro-
dnccd he would be regarded as a canaida'e TOT tne
unatic asylum. Where there are rear phiu h
The ma me OF the less important streets snou'i We
apteraa R,, / am sure that public sentiment In
Brooklyn will never sanction me chansnS %
and O hers that are the committee list ana maj
ON the principle the committee has LAID down VIII
hay. 10 be renamed" - 1890. -.
TO lind appropriate and euphonious names ior
rn, I'LL, o. he an easy matter II has been sug-
gcs,ed ii,t the name OF Beecher should be given
IL some street Of actual or potential Importance IN
fact f. seems strange that the great preacher, VINO
douhtlcss dld more than any other one man 10 MAKE
Brooklyn famous on both sides OF the Atia"'c' mas
not been thus honorcd before
DISMISSED EMPLOYEES WILL sue.
ACTION To BE BEGUN TO-DAY AGAINST