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#21 | |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Quote:
Seems strange that there are two streets with nearly the same name so close together. Must be an interesting story there. |
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#22 | |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
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#23 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Anyone have an answer to my question on Mass Ave @ 20, above?
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#24 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
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#25 | |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
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From: https://archive.org/stream/reportonl...e/n25/mode/2up ![]() "Exeter Place" and "Norfolk Place" were the cross streets at the edge of the property at the time. The straight Ave de Lafayette was carved by the mall. "New Arterial Street" From: https://archive.org/stream/lafayette...e/n13/mode/2up ![]()
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#26 | |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Back Bay cross streets are an alphabetical set of posh-sounding Anglo names. Why this particular set? . Earls? Houses of Earls? Names associated with Devon(shire)? Mansion names from London?
That they seem to have been chosen for (1) Alphabetization (2) General Hoity Toity airs and (3) alternating between 2 and 3 syllables suggests that they were "purely fanciful" (then again, I think you'd get some disagreement on how many syllables are in "Berkeley" and "Gloucester" depending on whom you asked at UK/US places and eras. Also were Ipswich, Jersey, and Kilmarnock really part of the original set or were they a later "me too" attempt? Wikipedia says Quote:
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#27 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Interesting.
I've heard BArkley, but do people say Berk-e-ley (or Glaw-chest-er)?
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"You cannot take in a whole Boston street with a single glance of the eye and then lose your interest because you have thus taken the edge off future discovery; on the contrary, every step reveals some portion of a building which you could not see before, some change in your vista, and some suggestion of pleasant variety yet to come, which not only keeps your interest alive but heightens it and persuades you to go on." |
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#28 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
I took a History of Boston type course at BU once that was taught by Mayor White's son. He claimed that the streets of the Back Bay were deliberately given very English names as some not-so-subtle "Irish Keep Out" signage.
I doubt there is any documentation backing up that assertion so take it as you may. |
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#29 | |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Quote:
Second, the time and vibe (profoundly "English") are right for the kind of business that anyone able to participate in vast townhome building would have thought completely natural.
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#30 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
My impression is that they were named for English nobility, particularly earls or dukes. A quick internet search brings up contemporary or otherwise recent earlships for every street name except Fairfield and Ipswich.
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#31 | ||
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Re: North-South Rail Link
Quote:
Quote:
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"You cannot take in a whole Boston street with a single glance of the eye and then lose your interest because you have thus taken the edge off future discovery; on the contrary, every step reveals some portion of a building which you could not see before, some change in your vista, and some suggestion of pleasant variety yet to come, which not only keeps your interest alive but heightens it and persuades you to go on." |
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#32 |
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Re: North-South Rail Link
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#33 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
MOD NOTE: This is a thread about Boston street names. Any posts that wander from that topic will be moved to an appropriate (and possibly locked) thread.
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#34 |
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Location: South End
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Re: Street Name Etymology
How much does Henry want to change it because of old racist sentiment or is it because he wants the name Henry to be associated with the Red Sox and not Yawkey
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#35 |
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Join Date: May 2006
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Sort of a win/win for him I would say.
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#36 |
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Location: South End
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Agreed. There's Yawkey stuff all over the city from the benign (IMO) like street names to the good (IMO) like cancer centers. They obviously gave a truckload of money to altruistic endeavors and now we have to associate those with negative aspects of the donors? They did a good thing let's leave it at that. I think there's a line and Henry is crossing it. I think he's just being opportunistic here. If the voice was someone else perhaps, ie the mayor or someone of that ilk I would probably be on board. Henry, not so much.
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#37 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
Oh, don't get me wrong, I think it should be changed, and I think Henry legitimately does as well, I just think he knows he getting good PR out this too. So win/win.
The question is, what should it be changed to? |
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#38 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
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#39 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
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#40 |
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Re: Street Name Etymology
I would be fine with that, but I'm guessing Henry will be pushing for something a little 'on-brand' or at least brandable.
Wally Way? Ugh. |
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