The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-14
s0ME TRADITIONS MEN<CkD.
A Proposition to Do Away with tho Name
of places on tho West side.

During the time when the Greenwich village
on the west side 81 town, south Of Fourteenth
street and west Of Sixth avenue, was the most
fashionable part Of New York, 1t was The custom
OF Its residents 20 adopt separate designations
for Ger tain blocks Of houses. Thus, ST Lukc's
place was that part Of Leroy street facing What
II now ST Johns Park, Ashland place was that
part III Perry street between Greenwich avenue
and Whverlcy place. Spencer place was that
part Of Fourth street between Christopher and
West Tenth, Van Nest place was that Part
Of Charles stree, between Fourth and lilceckcr,
Ludlow place was that part II Houston street
between Sullivan and Macdougal streets, st
Clements place, Mncdougal street from Houston
aud Bleecker, Cottage place, Hancock street be
tween Houston aud Bleecker (Une side and so
on, the number of such places" being practically
the "a me as the number Of streets In which there
were separate blocks restricted "a RESIDENCES,
With the grow III Of the city, however. further
uptown, and the general designation Of stress
above Four penth street by numbers, the oili,lH
establishment u new places" In thu Greenwich
village. wards Nine and Ten, u The city has
ceased, but these designations have been pre-
served tennciously by the older Inhabitants.
being disregaydsd generally by the newer gen
Grafton. Recently, there has been some agia
ton for the Abandonment u even n seiHblance
Of such names, and at the first meeting Of the
Board Of Aldermen In 1900, here Was presented
u petition s!gned by a numb,r Of residents 81 ' an
Nest place setting forth in detail these faces:
That Charles street extends ilom nfeenwich.
avenue TO the Hudson River. that Van Nest place
Is the name Of "A block 0f ground on tho nprth.rly
side Of thares street, between Fourth and DleeCker,
comprising eighteen city lots Of private DWELLING,
that the houses on Van Nest place are numbered
from l " Is tthe odd and even numbers being ON
the same side Of the street, and thai on Charles
bered from | 70 10, the odd numbers being on tDs
norherly side and the even numbers being On Tie
eoutherly side OF the street. that Van Nest place
Is now practically unknown. except 10 persons
living in the immediate vicinity Of the BLOCK bea,
ing that name, and for that reason uy presslnen
and all others laNing packages, letters u messages
for delivery upon inquiry l"t AN Nest place
are invariably directed To- Charles street. and told
that Van Nest place ahu Charles street Ure the
same, and, therefore, from the fact that there are
two sets Of Numbers from No ! 10 II IN that street,
the delivery at the wrong hOuS" Is made frequently
The request contained in Tn" petition Is that the
name ivan Nest place b. discontinued, and thHt
tile numbers Of the houses on the biJcN b" changed
a. the numbers that they WOuld be- entitled 10 on
Charles street Abraham AN Nest, after whom thlS
place was called was a hArdw are merchant, IN the
Ninth ward, and was elected an Alderman ironl u
In 1888 Tie purpose OF those who seek 10 chance
its designation is primarily, II CourSr, 20 obvlGIe
the annOyanceS arising from a dupleX system ~
street names ana II street number bdt the iii
mate intention Of many residents Of tn n0lghbur
hood is to have all tho place names duae away
with officially, as there no longer exists, except
on continental grounds, any reason FIR the -
tenuon of such titles which aGd greatly TO- the Goa
fusion Of visitor, and Hra ~ longer accepted as a
designation oi restricted haildIucs There nos
been Il large Incre",r Ia huAncSs int S.S IN
this part Of town witIln the lnst iuuT ~ five years
and a considerable eXoduSotitS old residents