The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-04
SUBMIT REASONS
FOR OPENING 18TH
Memorial on Subject Pre-
sented to Commission
MEETING YESTERDAY
Viaduct Plan Heartily Indorsed and
Commission Urged to Include
Opening of Another
Through Street

q memorial lndorslng the general pan
for the elimination of grade crossings
and petitioning the city commission to in
corporate in the plan the opening up Of
Nineteenth street was adopted at the
meeting yesterday morning of the COM
mittee recently appointed by II. Fl. Motion
to take in charge the movement to open
up Nineteenth street across the railroad
tracks to Powell avenue. Mr. Motion
was made permanent chairman of the
committee and S. G. Starke's name was
added to the committee as secretary
On motion it was decided that the COM
mittee as a body present the memorial to
the city commission at its next meeting.
( The following resolution was adopted
Whereas. The elimination of the grade
crossings of Birmingham is of the ut
most concern to the whole city; and
whereas, in the opinion OF this committee
all business organizations of the city
should devote untiring effort to this end;
therefore
''Be it resolved. That this conmittee Of
10 invite all the business organizations of
Birmingham TO cooperate with 1t in sup
porting the city commissions plan for
the elimination of the grade crossings"
Memorial to Commissioners
The following is the memorial:
{ 10 the Honorable Commissioners of the
:. City of Birmingham
"Gentlemen:-Most heartily commend
ing the admirable solution of the problem
of grade crossings. which has been worked
out under your direction, and recommends
ed by the two eminent engineers who
have given so much time and thought
to this subject and representing body
OF taxpayers organized for the purpose
of having added to the plan the opening
of Nineteenth street from Morris avenue
to Powell avenue, we, the undersigned,
herewith Respectfully submit our petit
ton to you and hope that your honorable
body will see fit to insist upon the open
Ing of this important street so as to
provide additional means of connecting
the business center of the city on the
Northside with an important part of the
city on the Southslde
I'VE are not unmindful of the fact that
you must keep in view the good of the
whole city and not of some favored Sec
ton, and we have endeavored to keen
this constantly before us in this petition
In fact. our greatest hope is just here,
that the opening of Nineteenth street is
for the good of the whole city. and with
out it the solution of our grade crossings
viii be Incomplete. We are further en-
bcidened to, make our request since we
are assured by the city engineer that
there are no serious obstacles to the OPEN
ing of this street. .s...s4
Specific Reasons Given
BY way of simplifying the above gen.
eral statement. we beg your indulgence
while we present the following specific
reasons fof opening Nineteenth street.
III Nineteenth street is opened
j. 1t would be one of the longest and
breadest cross-town streets of the city,
i cmecting South Highlands and North
A1lehlands with the very center of the
shorping district continuous stretch
of something like 80 blocks.
! ~. u will help very materially in meet
& Ing the needs of the far greater traf-
+; re between the Southsde and the North
side, when east and west street car
Il transportation on the Southside as con.
templated by the Tidewater and Kelly IN
j tertsts is an accomplished fact
l ~ 1t viii relieve an otherwise serious
\ hapdicap to fire and police protection.
when this has become city of 500 900 or
! moro inhabitants.
y II VIII greatly enhance the value OF
the city property on that thorougisfare
!. namely, the old Southside market and the
krfesent city hall. which would more than
+ offset the cost of the land for this street
& from Morris avenue to Powell avenue.
& We do not. however. anticipate that the
g railroads viii charge for this right OF
4 way, which is so essential to the plan of
n solving the grade crossing problem
.. 1t would, we assume, enhance prop-
crfy values on that street for not less
4 tran 10 city blocks, thus adding hundreds
OF thousands of dollars to present valua-
lions for taxation
u ~ would encourage the building of
nanS permanent improvements. adding
tl'eir quote 10 the taxable property in
the city
1t VIII greatly enlarge the business
aHea OF Birmingham. tending thus ia
Provide room for the establishment of
new lire. or business close to the busj
less center where rents will be chean ner
Just at this time there is Il proposition
fot the eity 10 Build d great auditorium.
and with Eighteenth. Nineteenth and
Twentieth streets opened Up. Southside
property would furnish a suitable site for
such IA building. Taking the iutcrsection
OF First avenue and Twentieth street is a
Pivotal POINT. we offer the assertion thai
suitable site for this auditorium within
five blocks on the Southside can be nh
tained at onc-tenth the amount Il would