New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-07
JUGGLING WITH STREET NAMES

A street name is something that a City Father
seems never able to let alone. Perhaps it is be-
cause he has generally so little else to do that
the habit of showing his Importance to his fell
lows by making them learn their geography
anew grows 10 irresistible proportions Our
charter makers gave the Municipal Council of
this city far too much to do and it might be
thought that they would be content to make
mischief in the new fields open to them, and
neglect their old familiar function of playing
ducks and brakes with history. But, no. Our
Council ended the year by voting to call Elm-st.
Dewey-ave., Mai-st. Van Colt Place, and White
hall-st. South Broadway.
Could anything be much worse than at least
two of these changes? Not that we approve of
the first Only that has the reason to commend
it that Admiral Dewey is a popular favorite,
and at all times and in all places it has been
the custom to name streets after National he
roes English towns have their Victoria streets
which once went by other Names and Via Ca
your and Piazza Vittorio Emmanuel ia
miliar names for public places which existed in
the Middle Ages. Nevertheless 1t is much better
to honor our heroes with new things instead of
reEamping old ones, particularly when we are
all the time planning enterprises and lay
ing out new streets. If a Dewey-ave is wanted,
let some good, broad thOroughfare which has
not yet any distinctive name be so designated.
Why name after him an old street, with which
his personality is in no way associated, to the
disturbance of tradition and the disgust of all
whose interest in the city goes back of the pres
ent? Lincoln's name is associated with several
spots in this city. but not with an old street
robbed of its historic name. New-York honored
General Grant and Admiral Farragut, but did
not change Bleecker-st. TO Grant-ave. or Stuyve-
SAINT Square to Farragut Park that account,
and there is reason why Elm-st should be
metamorphosed. There are other and better
ways of honoring Admiral Dewey.
For the second change absolutely nothing can
be said Van Colt Place sounds we'll enough
and Mail-st. is a name Of no antiquity charm.
though quite appropriate for the back dooryard
of the Postoffce. But why Van Colt Place?
Why not Dayton Place, or Person Place, or
James Place, or Shields Place, or Lacombe Place,
or any other place, in honor of some person who
has happened TO have an office in the Federal
Building2 Mr. Van Colt by chance at the pres
ent moment is the custodian of that building,
and we believe, a reasonably efficient one. But
there were other good custodans before MIR.
Van Colt and we never heard of his doing any
thing which entitled him to such special emf
nence above all the men who within the last
century have occupied that office, one of whom,
by the way, was James Monroe, sometime Presi-
dent OF the United States. If century hence
people walk through Mail-st and see ii labelled
Van Colt Place, IL there any reason to suppose
they will not ask, "Who was Van Colt, TO have
a street named for him?
But Van Colt Place, though grotesque, is
harmless beside wiping Whitehall-st. off the
map. That name was associated with New-York
in the seventeenth century, and should by all
means be preserved We have few landmarks
left from Colonial days. Let at least keep
the names that remain. Changing this one is
an outrageous piece of vandalism, as well as a
serious inconvenience. Whtehallst is on all
the maps for two centuries, and laws
and deeds and legal papers Of all kinds
contain it. Its extinction would involve
great trouble and confusion to future rec
ord searchers. The necessary explanations and
parentheses might be endured If any useful pur-
pose were served, but, on the contrary, the
change means q practical nuisance. We already
have three Broadways in Manhattan, not to
speak Of those IN other boroughs. A fourth one
means more confusion more missent letters,
more searching for addresses in the wrong quar-
ter. Whitehall-st means something 1t is an
historic name, and everybody knows where 10
find It, South Broadway is meaningless, yapid
indstinct with difficulty differentiated by
strangers from East or West Broadway or even
from South Fifth-aye. If the prefix South is
omitted, then old Broadway must be reBum-
bered, and from Bowling Green northward
every fixed address, some of which are valuable
10 their possessors as well advertised name
will have TO be changed. The excuse given for
mo Ia hat he ME l,nxa