26th Street re-routing: here come the Freemasons!

The new proposed street sign for the re-routed 26th Street.

Well, there is a definite sarcastic streak running through the 3rd Ward, I see. Generally, the letters I've received about my last post regarding the re-routing of 26th were very positive, but here's a sample of one of the more negative ones:

dear mr. larson,

wow, way to stand up against the freemasons, sir. how bold. next i'd like to see you take on the whigs, carpetbaggers, prussians and zeppelin pilots that continue to terrorize our neighborhood.

regards,
vick in hanley

Well, ha ha. Point taken.

I want to be clear, though, that my problem is not with Freemasons themselves. My grandfather was a Mason. My problem is with dangerous, outdated notions of how a city street should flow.

Call me unsentimental, but I do not think it's unreasonable to think that the primary purpose of a city street is to regulate the orderly flow of automobile, bicycle and foot traffic, not to create a mystical arrangement of lines that, when viewed from above, reflect the perfect symmetrical will of the Divine Architect.

Some of you don't see things that way. Namely, Grand Master Eldon Sommers, 33°, of the Novus Ordo Seclorum Chapter of Armitage Heights Lodge of Approved Freemasons No. 1, writing in this letter dated January 18:

I cannot think of a time since the 19th Century heyday of the Anti-Freemason Party when the traditions of Freemasonry were more under assault. We have contributed to the prosperity and well-being of this community for generations, and yet we find at every turn our historical figures have been slandered at your hands, and our architectural contributions to the unique heritage of this area maligned and denigrated as dangerous and even deadly. 26th Street in its current arrangement is beautiful and inspiring.

Surprisingly, many of you seem to feel this way. I can see that this debate has touched off a nerve.

Again, it's important that I let you know that the feelings of Freemasons of all rites, whether Scottish, Grand College, Shriner, Templar or Rosicrucian, are important to me as your councilman. I still do not feel that 26th Street is safe or practical in its present configuration.

However, in the spirit of compromise, I would like to make the following suggestion. I propose that the stretch of road that will connect Stanton Avenue and Gilpin Avenue past the Square be renamed Mysterious Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm Street, in honor the great Masonic organization that once thrived in this neighborhood. That way, we can both honor the past, and enjoy the present.

Additionally, such a unique, "quirky" name will stand out in the neighborhood, and certainly endear itself to residents and visitors alike. I can imagine future generations referring fondly to it as, say, "Mysterious Street," "ol' 'Chanty Street," or maybe "Movper Street" (the acronym for Mysterious Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm).

Perhaps we could even rezone the whole area as a historic heritage site, much like the Epseranto or Poutine Districts. The businesses along the new street could reflect the area's heritage, like "Entered Apprecentice Coffeeshop," or "Order of the Eastern Star Bagels." Imagine, a whole Freemasonry District!

So let's think about it, Freemason and non-Freemason alike.

Regardless of the name, construction should begin in early March, and will be completed by early 2009.