The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-05
HOW TO SIMPLIFY
STREET SYSTEM
City Engineer Tells How Con-
fusion of City Streets Grew.
Plans to Rename Them.

How to number the streets OF Rich
III the daytime. If not at night" Is the
| way that Chairman j. l. Hill expressed
the knotty question that the Businee
Mems Club tried to solve at the table
talk luncheon yesterday afternoon. He
said that he hoped to see the day when
a stranger in Richmond will be able
to tell by an address In what direction
and how far away it is.
Tho haphazard way In which the
street system has grown up was de-
scribed by City Engineer Charles e.
Boiling. He said that William Byrd
made the first plan of the city in
1897, mapping little territory be-
tween Seventeenth and Twenty-fifth
Streets, and the river and Broad
Street The father of Richmond evil
IDENTIFY had no idea what large propo-
sition he was starting.
AS the city grew. they began nam
ing the streets parallel to the river
alphabetically. as is shown by a map
made In 174c; but the olty soon out
grew the alphabet and they began Civ
ing the streets names. thus planting
the germ OF confusion Going west
the streets were at first numbered,
but whom che city fathers got to
Foushee. they were struck with the
necessity OF oommemora,ing heroes
and created the numerous streets which
still bear H,ames dating back to the
revolution. But the amazing growth
or the city soon exhausted the heroes
also, and then the authorities took
10 the woods" and named streets after
every tree Imaginable. until they were
literally lost IN the forest.
Three Wnshingtons-
AS each new division OF the city
was created. It was named and tho
streets laid out with little regard for
the rest OF the town, so that there
are now three streets named for
George Washington. and all Of them
so lnoonspicuous that few people know
there Is even one
The simplfcation suggested by the
City Engineer is TO name Main Street
FIRST Avenue, and to call the streets
on either side OF II Second Avenue
North and Second Avenue South. and
so on In the case of the cross streets.
he favors numbering them both East
and West from Foushee Street In
the case OF short street, II Will re-
Slin Its name. but the numbering OF
the houses will not take these short
streets into consideration at all. In
this way any address will indicate
both the direction and the distance.
approximately. from a given point
II would be difficult TO Introduce
such a sweeping change. ne admitted
but re suggests that on all plats and
maps the streets be given both names.
For example, Franklin Street would
be called Second Avenue or Franklin
street. so that no confusion would re-
suit in establishing metes and bounds
In real estate deals. He admitted thai
1t would be very difficult TO include
Fulton and South Richmond in this
scheme.
Robert Lecky, Jr., pointed out the
absurd'ty OF naming new sections OF
the town indscriminatcly after revo-
lut!onary heroes or real estate dealers
as has been done In the past He
favored the same plan OF simplifca-
ton suggested by Engineer Boiling
There is but one more OF the table
talk luncheons 10 be given. as the list
Of Richmond business mon has been
exhausted The last event will be
given a week from next Wednesday,.