Streets with Multiple Names

[ijmorlan]

I know this happens sometimes when an established road is extended. The original stretch of the road has buildings with established building numbers and in order not to break the continuity of the numbers they just call the street a new name. I also think this is why we have King St N, S, E and W but I could be wrong.

The answer in one word is “history”.

A different sort of example is Fischer-Hallman Road, which was formed out of one road (Either Fischer or Hallman, I don’t remember which one) that started at Glasgow St. and proceeded North, another (Hallman or Fischer) which ran from I think either Highland or Victoria to approximately where Ottawa is now, and finally a third which used to be part of what is now called Westmount Rd. So Fischer-Hallman is built out of pieces but was renamed.

The reverse also happens: one road to Cambridge has been gradually split up into Mill St., Carwood Ave., Vanier Dr., Manitou Dr., Doon Village Rd., Doon Valley Dr., Morningside Dr., and Blair Rd.

In many cases some interesting heritage properties can be found hiding just off routes that used to be main roads but are now just neighbourhood streets or in some cases don’t exist at all. A Waterloo example exists on Braeburn Pl., where one house is older than everything around it, having been just off a portion of what is now called Amos Ave. that no longer exists.

Kitchener and Waterloo have more of this than most Ontario municipalities because our original survey was a private survey done by the Mennonite settlers, not the usual concession and lot survey and not a single grid, and the road network that developed introduced major further irregularities. In most areas, main roads are mostly upgraded concession and side roads; here in the Township of Waterloo, they are a sometimes-confusing combination of old farm roads and new routes. Additionally, many old routes have been demoted to neighbourhood streets or eliminated entirely.