Historical Contractor Stamps Salvaged In Normal Heights

Undergrounding of the utilities along Meade Avenue from I-805 to 44th Street began in April 2005 as part of the City's ongoing utility undergrounding program. Approximately $4 million dollars from the City's Surcharge Fund were allocated in 2003 for the project, and the last above-ground line was disconnected and the last utility pole removed last month.

Seventeen historical stamps — some nearly 100 years old bearing the names of the contractors who originally poured and scored the sidewalks along Meade Avenue in Normal Heights — were identified before the project began. Of these, three were too worn and cracked to be saved; the others remained in place or were saw-cut and relocated as close as possible to their original locations. All sidewalk panels that had to be replaced were scored with one of the three historical scoring patterns unique to Normal Heights.