The Mystery of J Street

I'm in downtown DC and every letter of the alphabet is used as a street name except for the letter j. My conspiracy brain is wondering if there is a secret road somewhere that no one knows about?

Sorry, but no pics or links. I'm posting this from my phone. Anyone familiar with DC who could shine a light on this topic?

a reply to: lostbook


Jones Ct NW, Washington, DC 20007

a reply to: lostbook
Could it just be that "I" and "J" are too similar and might cause confusion?
The distinction between them is very modern. Crudens Concordance treats them as the same letter.

a reply to: lostbook
Snopes

The disappointingly mundane explanation is that J Street was likely omitted simply because the letters I and J were often indistinguishable from each other (especially when handwritten), and in 18th century English they were still largely interchangeable. (The 1740 “New General English Dictionary” published in London had a single section for I and J, and the standard identification Thomas Jefferson used on his personal possessions was “T.I.”) Having both an “I” and a “J” street would have been redundant at best and confusing at worst, so “J” ended up as the odd man out.

a reply to: lostbook

Washington, D.C., has no 'J' Street because city designer Pierre L'Enfant bore a grudge against Chief Justice John Jay.

Here's why.

a reply to: DISRAELI
You got it.

originally posted by: slapjacks
a reply to: lostbook


Jones Ct NW, Washington, DC 20007

Jones CT NW?

a reply to: lostbook

Any tunnels in that area?
Maybe connecting underground from "I" street to "K" street?

Never mind, I see you have your answer.

originally posted by: Tulpa
a reply to: lostbook

Any tunnels in that area?
Maybe connecting underground from "I" street to "K" street?

Never mind, I see you have your answer.

That's kinda what I was thinking.

I'm thinking in conspiracy terms.....Maybe it's not as simple as the official reason. DC was supposedly built to incorporate Masonic themes. Maybe the letter J has some meaning or importance in this way?

Maybe politicians have a different alphabet.
a reply to: lostbook

originally posted by: gimcrackery
Maybe politicians have a different alphabet.
a reply to: lostbook

my

Interesting. Maybe they work with a whole different set of rules...?

That's a whole other thread...

a reply to: lostbook

I'm quite intrigued....thank you!!!!

I live in Nebraska and we have alphabet streets but no I street. Possibly to prevent confusion between J and I?

Slightly off topic, but does F street interect with U street at all?
If so, I need a selfie on that corner.