Cleveland Heights’ “royal streets” – Queenston, Kingston, Princeton and Canterbury Roads – were named with the English aristocratic imagery generally favored in the time of their development, about 1910. Originally among the Berwald-Steward Company’s “Shaker Lakes” tracts, as were the slightly older Bradford and East Fairfax Roads, these four streets (one of which, Kingston, won a Community Improvement Street Award) display quite a variety of house styles.

Many wonder about the origin of the streets’ distinctive foot path, a right-of-way which, curiously though inaccurately, appears as a true street (part of Bradford) on some older maps. The path may be as old as the tract, and obviously was created as a pedestrian-friendly cut-through for such long blocks.

However, the City’s plan to extend Bradford Road eastward in April 1926 met organized protest among the path’s neighbors (primarily women, according to a news account) due to the high assessments a paved street would foster to the newly created corner properties in this already-built-up district. Not only was the street not constructed, but the wish of many for the path to be retained for children to walk to the proposed Canterbury School was also fulfilled. Cleveland Heights residents, apparently, have always been outspoken concerning what they want or don’t want in their community.

All of the “royalty streets” (excluding Canterbury) are situated on remarkably deep lots (Princeton is 180′, Kingston 220′ and Queenston 240′). Many residents have heard that the reason for this is that the tract’s developers planned to have no driveways, but rather for access to the homes to be from alleys at the backs of the properties. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but since the streets already were platted, the large lots remained.