The Washington herald., 1921-01-23
No Gdudy Names
For d. c. Avenues
Street Nomenclature Is
Picturesque But Not
FloUery

Quibbling visitors to Washington are
prone to say mean things about its street
nomenclature. They depose that If It
weren't for an occasional diagonal avenue
or circle, to cross which boldly is 10
court calamity in wiIdly-whirling concen-
trio and eccentric traffic, its highway
Technology would resemble the symbols
painted on skyscrsper girders before cree
tion.
Sixteenth and H streets northwest"
sigh the globe-trotters from Chicago, BurI-
ington and Quincy as the gasoline omni-
bus rumbles grsndly past that intersection.
How much more distinctive If It were
Rue Seizieme ct Boulevard Hsshish'"
Well, if the justly-celebrsted Capital
possesses no arteries with names so strik-
ing as "The Street Of Good Children"
"Unter den Linden" The Strand" or
even "Lakeshore Drive" It can boast some
fairly picturesque designations
Leave the beaten path Of mansion
fsnked and elm-arched thoroughfares and
jounce down to Goat alley, bisecting the
block of Sixth and Seventh, L and NJ
streets northwest or Bacon alley. cutting
through that of Four-snd-s-half and Sixth
E and F streets southwest Lose vour-
self on the can-lttered heath Of Blood
field, scene Of CORY exploits or seek 10
chart Bears Gap. A wise old sergeant in
the Fourth precinct may help YOU locate
it, though the Gap" is as thoroughly
built-up as Herald Square
Out in Takoma you will find Orchid and
Geranium streets, though the only speci-
mems of the aerial and tropical flower are
in corsage bouquets and the latter flourish
only in window-pots.
Seek Twining CITY and observe how
intersecting streets form Cloud Banks and
little ways of Clay-Banks. in the same
locality, walk out r street southeast into
Thirty-hrst and so into Westover street
and you may continue indefinitely from
WeStoDer into Thirty-hrst and from Thir-
ty-hrst into, Westover, for they form
rudely circular figure
Goat alley, by the way, is known also
as Congress alley. Another shaft at roy
atty viewed too near.
o. Henry took occasion to jibe at Wash
ington's letter and number street system
in his story The Hand That Riles the
World" where he pictures his hero as
stopping at "a hotel on South Dakota
avenue, G. S, S, VIZ" and journeying TO
IS. w. B. street"
He might have found some rsrer in
stances had he investigated further What
would he have said TO "I2soA A Half
street southeast" or "2Io B and A Hall
street southwest" Little street to dwell
ers thereabouO?
Washingtons permanent system q
highways" seems badly in need Of modi-
hcation in several outlying districts. The
original L'Enfsnt plan Of riGht-anElc street
intersections and diagonal avenues pertains
fully only in the older part Of the city
Realty subdivisions executed in bygOne
years have resulted in street extensions
forming complicated patterns, geOmetrIc-
ally gripping but desperately confusing
not only to visitors but old residents. Il
was against this sort OF thing that Alex
snder Shepherd, Washingtons fighting
governor. took up the cudgels. Nowing
that L'Enfant should be vindicated, he
pushed streets through tracts where virgin
timber hourished and left handsome homes
precariously teetering on the brink OF 90
foot mud-cliffs When Shepherd had the
old Center Market torn down, causing the
death of butcher who remained dOgGedly
hacking at his roasts, there was talk OF
a lynching and he discTeetly made himself
absent from the city for several days, rc-
turning to find the windows Of his home
wrecked by missiles of the mob. But his
purpose was accomplished.
Radical moves won't cure crooked streets
now: Washington has grown from village
to a city. What were sparsely-built prospec-
tors tracts, especially in the Mount Pleas
ant section, in this day are PopulOus resi-
dence centcrs. The Strengthening g-out proc
ess will go forward, however, proper
tionately with municipal needs. cen
tury from now Washington undoubtedly
- g,,1E11r,erF Of the ORIGINAL
street plan; squares, rectangles, circles
and parkways-P. A o.