Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-10
CHANGING A STREET NAME.

CHANGING A STREET NAME.
The Street and Sewer Department,
at its meeting Tuesday morning, re-
oeived a petition from $50 persons,
residing or doing business on Fourth
streot, asking that the name Of that
important thoroughfare be changed
TO Broadway. The petition was sup
plemented by the statement that only
ten persons on the street had declined
10 attach their names.
In giving consideration to this re-
quest, It Will be well for the Directors
Of the Street and Sewer Department
TO remember that the name OF a city's
important thoroughfare Ia OF interest
TO all the people. and not alone 10
those residing or doing business
thereon. A street is the possession
OF the entire community. and Its name
~ a. ''hNstu to all Aisor IL may De
added that those from the out
side who visit the city frequently. on
business or personal affairs. have an
interest in this matter. They becoms
familiar with tho city by Its estab-
l!shed landmarks, among which its
streets are conspicuous. and as they
become familiar with the streets by
their names as we'll as by their loca-
,ions. changes In names are apt TO
be obnoxious TO them, as we'll rs TO
the large majority Of citizens who re-
side or DO business on other streets.
During a large part Of the existence
OF Wilmington as borough. Fourth
street was called High street That
was before the day Of numbering our
cross streets. Fifth street then being
Queen, Sixth street Hanover. Seventh
street Pasture, and other streets aSsc
With name designations instead OF
numbers. clear to the Brandywine
Sixteenth street being then known
~ Mil street. All were changed
when numbers were adopted an the
street designations. To now change
Fourth street to Broadway would b
confusing, and also meaningless, ex.
capt a. TO Its generous width. and ir
this oonnsstion II il well to remember
We have other streets than Fourth
strset-oet numbered streets-tha
could svyn more appropriately b
designated n Broadway.
The name OF Fourth street was ap
piled TO Shis now important thorough
fars In accord with a proper and sens
ible plan, and TO change It in an.
mannsr would disrupt this plan, an,
create . confusion that would be yer.
Objectionable 70 ali save those residinl
on 0r doing business on the street
And II u not certain their interest
would - wsn served by the suggeste
change. especially the business mer
N the latter arc now known to tn
outside world as being located o
Fourth street, and IN respect Of thi
matter their interests might be hin
dered rather than conserved.
Comparisons with Broad stree
Philadelphia. which constitutes whs
would Be Fourteenth street In full &C
cord with the numbered streets pla,
do not apply TO the proposed chang
Of Fourth street IN Wilmington ,
Broadway. Broad street always hs
been Broad street. having been adopI
ID ~ marking the division between til
Schuy1kin and Delaware river sector
IN the original city plans. The 9th,
north and south streets were nun
bersd and the name of the river a
taehsd 70 the numbered streets we
Of Broad. ~ special designation
Next to the schuylkill came "Schuy
XIII First" and 90 on to Broad stree
while on the other side the stree
were simply numbered, beginning
the lower end and continuing 10 Thi
tsenth street. which L. next 10 Broa
Up to a few years ago a large brio
dwelling At the southeast corner
Seventeenth and Chestnut streets DO
a marble name plate on the seve
teenth street side lsttered "Schuylk
Seventh" And II may be there tods
Also, Broadway has no local ri
nincance. There are numerous Broa
ways throughout the country, b
only one that means anything--Ns
York City's Great White Way" ]
adopting this name. therefore,
would be only fecbly initiating O
huge metropolitan nsishbor. Nor