This is a little hard to explain, but the streets of the western Greater Ville were not laid out by any higher authority, and they were once part of a larger estate known as the Papin Tract. Consequently, they’re all messed up, becoming incredibly narrow, having houses on only one side of the street, dead-ending after only one hundred feet, making a dog leg turn, etc. But first look at this house above and below, sitting askance the street grid. This house was built long before the modern street grid, and I suspect was the home of one of the owners whose property was divided in one of these disorganized subdivisions.

The street going by this interesting survivor, which reminds of a similar one on North Taylor nearby, is on the south side of Highland Avenue, which is little more than an alley, with houses on the south side, and garages on the north side for houses facing Cupples Place. The subdivision on the right, the north, was the Young Subdivsion, and on the left, the south, is still just known as the Papin Tract, never actually subdivided by any developers. This is the street that developers forgot; it is an afterthought.

Look how up above it jogs a little to the left and then below squeezes its way through two houses, not even wide enough for a house.

Then there’s the little stump of Wabada, which is part of the Amended Plat of the Bush-Burns Subdivision of the Suburb Cote Brilliante Addition (Try saying that ten times fast). It only goes for about one hundred feet before coming an alley, because Hammett Place gets in the way. We’ll look at that little known gem tomorrow.