The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #78290   Message #1405127
Posted By: PoppaGator
10-Feb-05 - 05:39 PM
Thread Name: Rue de Rory Gallagher?
Subject: RE: Rue de Rory Gallagher?
Often, when a street is "named" for a deceased celebrity, only a single block (or other short segment) of an existing street is renamed. It's a nice honor for the dear departed one, but not helpful to travelers because only the original name of the street (of the whole street) is shown on maps.

Examples: Dave Van Ronk Street in Manhattan (one block of the street where Dave lived ~ Bleeker?), Jack Keroac Street in San Francisco (at the corner of Columbus Ave. where City Lights Bookstore is located).

Here in New Orleans, the single block of Chartres Street between St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square was renamed "John Paul II Place" years ago, to commemorate the Pope's visit, but very few people even know that any more. There's a street sign with the new name, but little else. No business or residential addresses use the honorific street name; only three buildings face the street on that block, the Cathedral and two museums, all known as being located "on Jackson Square," not at addresses on either Chartres Street or John Paul Place.

Now, dead politicians and generals get the entire lengths of streets named after them, and their names do appear on maps. But poets, musicians, clerics and other such harmless types? Forget about it!