Changes on 26th Street at Armitage Square.

The original plans for the street layout around Armitage Square, circa 1840.

Well, I have some good news for all residents: the city council finally voted last week to re-route 26th Street around Armitage Square.

As you know, it's present configuration is unappealing and a bit of a death-trap. 26th starts crosses Stanton Avenue and runs alternately west and south past Legaré and Pierrepont, and then cuts through Armitage Square, merges with Toucey for two blocks, and then to Stanton south for a block through the park and back again onto the grid at Gilpin Avenue.

Instead, 26th will be routed right off Stanton, north of the square, and then travel directly to Gilpin, saving everyone a lot of trouble.

The reason it was routed in its original configuration had something to do with the fact that the planner of this part of the neighborhood, local architect and Freemason Charles Jeptha Grotting (the grandfather of another notable local Freemason), was mired in Masonic mumbo-jumbo and wanted the configuration around the square to reflect the perfect symmetry of the All-Radiating Eye. As readers of this blog well know, I have always taken a strong stand against the meddling of Freemasons in neighborhood affars, and to have this sort of shortsighted planning and superstituous nonsense contribute to an average of nineteen traffic accidents every year around the Square is completely ridiculous.

Please make no mistake: I am a big fan of the Nineteenth Century, and I will fight to see that this neighborhood maintains its historic charm when it is relevant and appropriate for it to do so. But whenever I get letters from people complaining about the city council's "philistine lack of interest in historic preservation," I simply remind them of this sort of situation. History is great, but it isn't all quilting, Blue Danubes and jaunty felt hats. There's a lot of creepy nonsense in there, too, and I think most of the residents and business owners in the area aren't going to be upset that -- pardon my strong language here -- the odd and unappealing whims of our forefathers' Masonic-centric urban planning aren't left hanging around to confuse tourists and contribute to car wrecks in this century.