RESTORING EAST THIRD AVENUE NAME BACK TO “THE BOULEVARD”

Restoring the Historic name to East Third Avenue is not a new subject; it comes up every once in a while.  Well, here we are again.  I have been asked to be Honorary Chairwoman of the committee to rename our street, perhaps because I was instrumental in getting 3^rd Avenue on the National Registry as a Historic Residential Street.  I’m honored to assume this responsibility because I think it would be appropriate to have the original name back as our street name.  Durango’s history is part of what makes Durango a unique place to live.

I would like to give you a very brief history of the background of East Third Avenue / “The Boulevard”.

In October 1984, East Third Avenue was entered into the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic Residential District.  In November 1984 the Colorado Historical Society recognized it as a Historic Residential District.  These were recognitions only and carried no regulations to maintain the Historic Residential District.  In order for the designation of a Historic Residential District to have meaning and protection the city needed to pass an ordinance with guidelines to retain the historic character of the neighborhood as a residential district.  A committee was established; guidelines were written and passed by the City Council.  

An article by Duane Smith, published in the Durango Herald on January 3, 1995, reminds us that the streets in Durango in 1893 carried numbers on the East/West streets and letters A through Z on North /South Streets with the exception of East Third Avenue which was then known as “The Boulevard.”   The Boulevard was planned to be “the” residential and church street with a tree lined parkway gracing the middle.   The City Council at that time had evidently asked the Ladies Improvement Society to rename the streets.  They came up with nice names like Alta Avenue instead of 2^nd Street, Cumbres Avenue instead of 4^th Street, Fremont Avenue instead of 7^Th street, etc.  At the City Council meeting, the motion to adopt failed.  In their next meeting the Council appointed a “renaming ordinance,” leading to Durango’s current unimaginative system.   

With this in mind the Boulevard Neighborhood Association Board of Directors is ready once again to consider restoring the name back to “The Boulevard”.  So we would like to hear from you and know how you feel about this name change.  It is, after all, a boulevard and is an important part of Durango’s history.  The trees that grace the street and the median are here because they were planted by an early women’s group who wished to beautify their town.  

To quote from the same 1995 article by Duane:  “Considering all the facts of the case and the original intent for naming the street the Boulevard, it seems time to right a wrong and rename Third Avenue the Boulevard.  It would return it to the elegance originally intended which the residents along the street have maintained for 115 years.  Preservation is more than buildings, it is heritage as well.”

Respond to: 

Maxine Peterson

622 East 3^rd Ave

247-5073

cmpete@frontier.net