Councilmember Dan Halloran officially unveiled street signs that restore the ancient names of Douglaston’s streets to the way they were hundreds of years ago.
Intro. 448, a law introduced by Halloran and passed by the City Council last March, amends the city’s topographical map to include the restored historical names of six streets in the historic center of Douglaston. 
The bill was supported by numerous community members, many of whom attended the June 24 unveiling, including Congressmember Gary Ackerman, Assemblymember Ed Braunstein, Douglaston Little Neck Historical Society President Julia Schoeck, Bill Sievers of the Historical Society and Douglaston Civic Association President Elliot Socci.
“This bill has had broad community support for years, because Douglaston is committed to its unique history,” said Halloran. “It’s a beautiful neighborhood with stories to tell.”
For approximately $3,600 in city funds, the historic street names of Prospect, Hamilton and Orient Avenues, Church, Pine and Popular Streets will be reinstated. These streets will join existing street names such as Cherry, Ridge, Forrest, Manor and Shore.
“Walking the streets of Douglaston is to enter a simpler time,” Halloran said. “These street names are a small, inexpensive way to connect the neighborhood to its past.”
The area that would become Douglaston was first settled in 1656 and has remained largely unchanged since the early 1900s.
The original settlers of Douglaston named streets after things they encountered on a daily basis or after prominent landowning families in the area. 
In the 1920s the city decided that numbering streets was easier and more efficient, and reformatted the streets borough wide.