City renames Lewis Avenue — sort of

The street sign will stay the same, but Westmount city council has passed a resolution that modifies the toponymic origins of Lewis Avenue. "We thought it would be nice to honour Emmanuel Lewis," Mayor Karin Marks said following a special lunchtime council meeting last Wednesday. "You remember him — he played that cute kid Webster on TV in the 1980s."

Marks added that although the now 38-year-old actor has no specific connection to Westmount — in fact it is doubtful if he ever even visited here at all — council voted unanimously in favour of the motion. The proposal was originally tabled with the intention of honouring a prominent African American to mark the election of U.S. President Barack Obama, but only if it could be done without changing any street signs.

Metcalfe Avenue resident Gerald Glass, the only citizen in attendance at Wednesday's meeting, pointed out during question period that if council's intention was to honour an African American, perhaps boxer Joe Louis would have been a better choice. "I do not know this Webster person," Glass said. "But of course everybody has heard of Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber."

Councillor John de Castell was quick to point out that the different spelling of the boxer's name would have meant changing the street sign, thus defeating the purpose.

The naming of Lewis Avenue has long been a matter of contention among residents. Despite persistent rumours that the street was originally named for actor Al Lewis, who played Grandpa on The Munsters TV series back in the mid-1960s, the origins of the name actually go back considerably further. In fact, the street was originally named for comedian Jerry Lewis, and was dedicated in his honour on the occasion of his professional break-up with partner Dean Martin in 1956.