The fortunes of many a street in America is determined by the assigning of numbers on a shield. In this case, for West Market Street in Bloomington, Illinois, it was assigned US Highway 150, probably sometimes around or after 1926, and its fate has been tied to that designation since that time.
Heavy through traffic inevitably leads to the street having more pollution, lower property values, depending on how close the houses were built to the street originally, and a general feeling of being more crowded.
But you also are more likely to spot these gems, and in particular this house that you can see below, which still maintains much of its original luster.
