The city of Richmond has a number of these great plinths along some of the
the late-19th and early 20th century boulevards and along the neighborhoods
of the same dates.
They are found along the main routes and not within the neighborhoods, so I
suspect that they were primarily located at the main trolly stops. They
are very different than the gate posts or matched pairs of posts that mark
private entrance.
They are about 4 feet square, 6 or so feet high, laid up granite blocks
with large cut granite caps, and they come in a great variety of sizes and
shapes, with no two alike as far as I have seen. Pyramids, squat and
stout, skinny and tall, ... Even when there are two at an intersection or
flanking a street they will be quite different. Usually you find only one
at a side street, and at 4-way intersections they will be on kitty-corners.
The names of the streets are found on two faces, as they face the street,
so you could ride along, look at the face and see what intersection you
were at.
I know of one that has been rebuilt in a garden, and I have a feeling many
have been taken away, but one near my humble abode was recently rebuilt
after being knocked apart by a city bus or some equally large
vehicle. Unfortunately the person entrusted with the saving of this bit of
community history was a dope who pretty much piled the blocks back up and
slathered concrete in the joints.
But then again, you do say that your example are flanking entrances, which
would make them gate posts, whether they have a fence or not.
Does knowing this stuff make me an "urbanist"? Yikes! Give me a farmer's
heap of stone any day!
Dan W.
At 5/5/03 10:49 AM, you wrote:
>Urbanists:
> Can anyone supply me with the name for those columns of stone which
>stand flanking the entrances to residential sections of a town or
>city. It seems clear that they were part of a planned neighborhood.
>They are disappearing fast from the cityscene and I thought it time for
>someone to get out and record them. It would help immensely if one
>knew what to cll them.
> You help is much appreciated.
>John
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