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Downtown Streets Add Old French Names to Street Signs

Visitors to downtown St. Louis will soon see different names - very old names - identifying downtown streets. Eight streets will receive new street signs featuring the roads' original French names in addition to their current English names.  

The signs were unveiled at a city hall event Saturday marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis. 

"The street signs will become part of the city's downtown Discovery Trail,” said David Anderson, fundraising chair of the French heritage group Les Amis, which raised the money for the new signs.. “It will be another aspect to show the city's history and the early colonial period and its roots to visitors, citizens.” 

The streets to receive new signs are: 1st St., 2nd St., and both sides of Memorial Drive; and Walnut, Market, Chestnut and Pine streets.  Street-level descriptive historical markers will also be erected.