Ace: Jefferson Park Avenue maintains the same name even though it makes two sharp turns to the left. Can you help decipher why JPA runs as it does?—Street Cred
Cred, confusing street maps have long been a contentious issue for Ace, who has often found himself lost when trailing a case down Main Street, which becomes University Avenue and then Ivy Road, or Emmet Street, which eventually is engulfed by Route 29 (and what is this about a Seminole Trail?). But JPA is unique, in that instead of changing its name while maintaining a straight path like the aforementioned routes, JPA snakes its way south of the University and maintains its name while twice changing course. The road breaks left as it meets Emmet Street near Scott Stadium, and turns left sharply again at its intersection with Maury and Fontaine avenues.
Mr. Jefferson originally conceived the old Lynchburg Road (now JPA) as the entrance route into his new University. This vision was made impossible by University expansion, but JPA is still used as an entrance into Charlottesville, so its confusing course could be a diversionary tactic against invading Hokies and Heels from the south. However, considering that the folks from Blacksburg not only found their way to Scott Stadium this fall, but also made the ’Hoos appear lost in their own backyard during a 52-14 thumping, Ace figures there must be a more compelling explanation for JPA’s unusual trajectory.
Indeed, after sniffing around the offices of Neighborhood Development Services (NDS) and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Histori-cal Society, Ace learned that the three branches of JPA might very well have been different streets at some point. However, these streets were likely unified under one name as they were widened to create the foundation for a steam rail and later an electric trolley. That conveyance carried residents from Downtown and the University area along what is now the median of JPA to the Fry’s Spring Clubhouse resort roughly at around the turn of the 20th century.
Further inquiry revealed a most interesting nugget of info: “Part of the reason Parks and Recreation has had trouble growing trees in the JPA median is that the substructure of the trolley still exists under the grass,” says Neil Currie, who, though only an intern in the NDS office, seems to know a whole helluva lot.
So not only is JPA more than one road, it can support more than one form of transportation (City planners, take note). Still, Cred, Ace knows that life often comes at us with confusing issues. When faced with these dilemmas, Ace has learned that there’s no point looking for a straight answer.