Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-03
SKG|TY TO SHIFT
WASHINGTON ST.
Oldest Inhabitants Point to
fHumillatjng Feature
of Present Alley.

Moved by the "fumiliating feature
OF having such an insignificant street
rs q s0-foot- wide alley named wash
tngtep street" the Association Of Oldest
Inhabitants last night officially petit
TONED the District Commissioners to
bestow the name of Washington on
Some more important street.
The matter was brought before the
sssocia ton by DR.. William Tindall a
vice president Of the organization, who
delivered an interesting address on the
naming Cf streets and numbering OF
houses IL the District of Columbia.
"A HumiIiating Feature
"A Illuminating feature Of the naming
Of streets in the National Capital" de-
clared DR.. Tndall, is the insignificant
character OF the highways that are
named after the statesmen and off.
Gals who were the most eminent and
Influential in establishing and develop
Ing the seat of government
THE eminencs of Washington" he
explained, lis represented by 4 OBJECT
wide alley named Washington street,
running from Fourth to Fifth streets,
between G and H streets northwest.
Jefferson place is also a narrow
court in Square 13s running from Con-
QecLlcuI avenue 10 nineteenth street
Between M and N streets.
Coy. Alexander R. Shepherd has
been preserved to fame in that respect
by an ordinary city street and park
while the Commissioners under whose
supervision the city was laid out have
been entirely overlooked.
Lincoln has been honored by the
naming of a county road now called
Lincoln road, which runs from Florida
avenue to Michigan avenue, and Grant
by county road running from Broad
Branch road to Wisconsin avenue, by q
one square narrow court named Grant
place running from Ninth to Tenth
streets between G and II streets and a
circle.
A Park for LEnfant.
1.-The supereminent distinction of Maj.
Charles Pierre L'Enfant among the fac
tors who were connected with the found
ing of the city has been utterly ignored
with respect to street naming, but re-
Gently the awakened American sense OF
justice has been directed to that griev-
Gus oversight and q belated memorial
recognition of his merit has been made
to placate his neglected and supersensi-
tive name by the creation of a park in
his honor at Twining City"
Many interesting anecdotes were told
for the shifting of streets or remaining
OF highways and avenues.
For instance DR.. Tindall explained,
"Fourteenth street at Iowa avenue Is
diverted to the west about 100 yards.
That DETECTION was made in the inter-
est of q music teacher named GuStaVus
Kuhn, whose house stood in the way OF
direct extension OF that street.
Perhaps those Irregularities where
they occur in the city of washington
were some of the defects to which
L'Enfant referred when he said that his
plan had been spoiled by those who sue
ceeded him in the actual work of lay
ing out the city on the ground. Lin
wood street between Thirteenth and
Fifteenth streets and B and ID streets
southwest, Is in line with Thirteen
and-a-Half street northwest. 1t was
Thirteen land a Half street southwest
until July /, 1905, when Congress gave
II its present name to humor the ca
price of lady who apparently preferred
botany to mathematics as source for
highway nomenclature.
Assortment Of Names.
1.-THE most incongruous assortment of
names for any one highway is that
which applies to the street leading di-
rectly south from the court house. Until
June 6, 1900, &c was NAMED Four-apd-a-
Half street It's entire length from the
court house to P street south, but on
that date Congress changed the name
OF the part Of 1t north of the east and
west center line Of the Mall to Fourth
street. Then ca March 1, 1901, Con-
gress changed the name of so Huch of
il that is between the easterly and
westerly center line Of Pennsylyania
avenue and the court house to John
Marshall place, Hence 1t is John Mar
shall place from the court house to the
middle line OF Pennsylvania avenue,
Fourth street from that middle line to
the middle east and west line of the
Mall and Four-anda- Half street from
the middle Of the Mail to p street south
1t has the honor of being the street on
which slept on my first night In
Washington on my way with my regi
ment to the Battle OF Antietam, on Sep
tember 10, 1852"
entertaining account of how the streets
came to be named and the houses to be
numbered throughout the city.
Emery Offers Resolution.
The motion to ask the Commission
eFs to give the name of Washington
to some more important highway was
III CcCttkSA Wy IlCA "a Gllety dIl0 was
adopted unanimously.
The series Of articles on Washington
written by John Clagett Proctor, q vice
president of the Association of Oldest
Inhabitants, appearing m the magazine
Of The Sunday Star will DE officially
preserved in the files of the association,
according to a resolution adopted last
night. President Theodore w Noyes,
who presided, appointed the following
committee to preserve these records:
John Boyle. who presented several
copies of the articles and made the mo-
ton for preservation; James F. Bu-
han1el and George B. Jackson.
MFR. Jackson presented a picture OF
the Grant family, which was accepted
with the thanks of the association
Oficial consideration rs being given
to the question raised by thf associa-
ton about year ago OF honoring Max
Weyl the artist, by naming one of the