Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-17
STREET NOMENCLATURE.

The Committee on Streets OF our City
Council is to be applauded for taking up
the matter Of street nomenclature. 1t
was led 20 do so from discovering that
there are several streets in Richmond
bearing the same names; but we guess
he inquiry Will broaden as it proceeds.
Considered as an entirety. it is a difficult
subject, but persistent effort may accom-
plish much. Besides, we doubt not that
City-Engineer Cutshaw has investigated
the question with all of that industry,
ability. and thoroughness for which he is
famous. and will be able TO help the COM
mittee a great deal.
The present names of our streets run
ming east and west will do we'll enough
as a whole So will those running north
and south in that section of the city east
of Foushee street But when we look
westward of Foushee street we see a
tangIe of irregularly laid off thorough
fares. having names that by no means in
dicate their locality.
what is needed is a system of nomen-
clature for the western cross streets that
will designate their neighborhoods. When
you tell Richmond man that a certain
house is at the southwest corner of
Twenty fifth and Venable streets he
knows at once where to go and how TO
get there; or if the street No. is 24iO Ven
able street that is a sufficient direction
Tor any Richmonder. Not so in the West
End. If you tell man that you reside
at 1896 west Main you give no such pre-
else information as you receive in the
other case cited.
1t is a pity that when our streets were
numbered about three-quarters of a CEN
tury ago the numbering was not begun
I'm the East End instead of In the West
End First stree, should have been on
the eastern border Of the city instead of
Apon the western border, as the corpora
tion lines then ran. But our forefathers
acted according to their lights Doubtless
II was then expected that the city would
expand eastwardly and not westwardly.
1T was expected that the bridging OF
Shockoe creek at Main street would be
greatly beneficial TO the East End, where
as the opposite effect was produced; the
city began to grow westwardly at
greater rate than ever.
However. the pending question is Would
st not be possible to adopt & system Of
street nomenclature which would be in
definitely eXpansible; that would serve !
our purposes in case Richmond continued |
TO grow eastwardly and westwardly both? !
We take 1t for granted that there would |
be much opposition to changing the names |
OF the streets that are known by their |
numbers. If so. the only choice left, so !
far as we are able 10 see. is to begin num-
Adams and call them First street, west:
Second street, west. etc, or we might
call those cross streets First avenue. Sc
cond avenue, etc.
That would give us an expansjble svs-
TEN that could never be outgrown by the
city: but there would always be a la
bility OF confusing a name OF that style
with First street" Second street" etc.
And yet though this question has been
discussed over and over again. we have
never heard any better suggestion offered
than those we repeat here.
Another trouble is that the western
parts OF the city came into the corpora
ton In the form of additions" Each
landowner laid off his lots into streets
and alleys to suit himself. and then put
the lots upon the market
The plotting of his land was done 30
suit his own ideas OF how the lots could
be made most marketable. Thus Belvi-
deere street does not run parallel with
Madison and when It crosses Broad street
IL appears there under a different name.
so we see that there are many dficul-
ties In our way. Yet who knows but that
some genius will arise 10 put us upon the
right path and show MS the way TO re-
place the bucolic street names OF the
West Fad with numerals that will indi-
cate the neiehborhood of any address that
nav be ,aiyen. Let US not be discouraged.