The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08

- A'' ANSAN - "'S hANA AS' ~
II Is estimated that twenty millions of dollars
has been expended on tho opening of streets
within this century. A mania for cutting new
streets according to the man plan OF tho Commits
sioners ,6 oT1s 4 aiid during the !, ihi ai,S consH-
was then n club joke that witty Simeon Draper
the Chauncey Dcpew OF the pcriod-who
displayed n ,gastronomic corporation in his
figure, met the Corporation Counsel ono even.
ing Mt n large stag party, and warned him away,
Ing a corporation street through me" 1t that
pe:iod this official received heavy fees for
sttcet opening, and three iincnmbents, always
eager 10 open new streets, laid foundations for
handsome fortunes.
About the same period another mania set in
among property holders for calling parts Of
streets place, and hence ON a large scale Way.
erlcy, Clinton, and Washington places. and on
q smaller scale l.; Leroy place; in NH blcG ecker pc.
tween lAturcns aud Thompson; on the next
block pc Pau place; Boorman place, on West
avcnnca; StuyvCsHnt place and Brcvourt place,
ON West Tenth. between Broadway and Uni
Tsr : ,EEi s tnt,,, T i"n. G Sn5 s siaH aG@ieh %ISiGS
place. on East Eighth street; Camden place On
East Eleventh street. bet tween avenues B and {:
nue. a: decatur place, In East seventh street,
between Fir-t avenue and Avenue A,and Wesley
place. on Mulberry. near BlcCCkcr. Then Loril-
lard placc,on Washington ; street. hctwccn Charles
and Perry: Millwnri place, On West Thirty.
first. between Eighth and Ninth avenues. and
Mansfield place, on West Fifty.iirst street. be.
tween Eighth and Ninth avenues, and Spingler
place. on Fifteenth street near Broadway. came
In time to west sidcrs. Three localities claimed
Cottage place rs their own, and there were
several other now forgotten places, such rs
Hamilton place. in West fifty-tirst street, near
New Works nomenclature of streets has
avoided the London confusion of having one
names, although Broad street and Broadway
have each masqueradcd III their lengths under
several aliases in the past. broadway has been
subjected to more uphcavals and what may, be
called contractor earthquakes than any other
city thoroughfarc. II endured. for instance,
in lsts II widening from Twrnty.tirst 10 TWEEN
ty.tifth streets; In lsdo from fitty.scvcnth TO
Sixtieth; in ls72 from Thirty.fourth TO
Nineteenth. 1t was Il victim to the mammoth
Russ block pavement during the %ti!tics.
place in 1888. and about the same time LcNing-
ton avenue, to he extended later t3. the Harlem
Riy tive. Nh Madison I a ave, aG1vS tortSIs HSGnd
Common Council that had undertaken Ia bleed
old Commodore Vanderbilt upon n Broadway
but was beaten because the willy old coInlno-
dorc ,cornnred its stock. of which the Alder
mail Trinity Church corporation by extending
Pine street through the Trinity graveyard to
the North River. But Instead OF paying The
Alderinen money To, stop the PROPOSED JOB.
Gen. Dix. then one of the vcstry, adroitly par
ried the spoliation by passing II resolution 10
build "A monument to Revolutionary heroes pre-.
ciscly in the line Of the proposed street exton-
sion. and NJ once laid the foundation of the pro-
posed monument. Under those circumstances
the Aldermen dared not persist. HeuCc Is TO
be seen the noble brownstonc monument at
the northcrly corner Of the chGrchyard and
close against Trinity building.
Wonderful changes have taken place in the
character and surroundings Of many streets.
Along State street, where are now Immigrant
boarding houses, u Tory aristocracy once gave
balls to colonial tashionab!cs. The bcerhouecs
OF lower Hr"enwish street nave been carved out
gers so now on the south side OF Bowling Grcen
to buy tickets f- Europe were the dwellings OF
wealthy citizens. Wall street was once the
residence Of prominent knickcrbockers, and
was as fashionable in l72T as is West Scyenty.
streets we're a hundred years ago inhabited by
wen-to~lo merchants. The Grapevine public
Sixth!ayenue and the Willow Cottage. on Fifth
avenue next 10 the Forty-third street syna-
goguc, were once suburban roadhnnscs to which
owners of horses who lived in Park place or
White street rode or drove out tor lunChcnns or
rest. Where jostlinG crowds o: shoppers now
throng Fourteenth street. kniCkcrhOckcrs came
to view the Spinfler manor grounds, rich WITH
flowers and VerGurc. where now only - small
garden and a maies tHa GlIh tree tn ninh Ite
legians have. played ball in vacant lots along
Twenty -third.strect. .Canal,strect was once a re-
sortIor shoppers and bargain hunters, as lower
Later Mayors have been remembered in
varian place. at Woodlawn road: in opdyke
street. that connects Oneida and Quail avenues:
in Hewitt place. AT the junction OF Robbins
which connects KinGsbridge road with Pelham
8 ~ , nsFT{ Howard s9G&irS, at canal q ,t:
once Chief Engineer OF the old Volunteer Fire
Department., who .htCamc paralyZcd from
ovcrcx ertion at a big firc. Jenny Liud's vocal
fame recurs 10 pedestrians III Lind avenue
that runs between Dcyoe and Wolf streets.
Marcy place. at jerome and Mott avenues. re-
minds Of New Works great Governor, and after
ward a Federal Secretary of state. hartindalc
avenue suggests the name Of a valiant Union
General, who served rs New Works Attorney.
General. Mohcgan avenue puts one in mind
OF Cooper novel: MarmiOn and Me!rO~c
streets, OF Walter SCOTS poetry: Nar-hi!clt
streets at Van Cortlandt avenue. suggests Daniel
Webster farming and fishing life: Lydig ave
nue. takes its name from the former country
farm OF a great knickcrhockcr merchant; 1t
Baltimorrans who arc familiar with the plu-
mage and song Of their tavoritc bird. adjacent
Prcb!c, TruNton, and Porter streets carry with
their names II heroic naval favOr, and
ORTHODOXY is remembered in the name OF
Audubon avrnuJ-for the Audubon brothers
were lO.- popular New Workers, and tho name
also belongs to a park adjacent 10 Trinity
Barney street, near Suuyten Duy"il. commence
rates "A great lawyer, who bccamr LInculh's
first Collector OF this port, and ltristOw street
suggests one Of Grants Secretaries OF the
Treasury. who died as IA New Yorker. CaNtou
street serves to remind OF the discovery Of
printing. Craven street commemorate the
brave Captain nj the taking OF Mobile By FarrlI-
gut. The name Emmett avenue delights the
eyes of lri-hmen who remember robert and
Thomas Adds Emmett. Gerard avenue .crvcs
TO recall the wit OF James W.. senior, who
frightened court and drawing rooms for half
u century. And doubtless as the borough of
Bronx climbs northward new streets will fur
Their illustrate colloquial and heroic names for
future generations.