What is now Jones Street predates 1789, and was named after Gardner Jones. Today's Great Jones Street was named after Samuel Jones, a lawyer who revised New York State's statutes in 1789 together with Richard Varick, and became known as "The Father of The New York Bar". He was also the brother-in-law of Gardner Jones.[1] Jones deeded the site of the street to the city under the condition that any street that ran through the property had to be named for him. However, when the street was first created in 1789, the city already had a "Jones Street," Neither brother-in-law would defer to the other to end the resulting confusion, but Samuel Jones finally ended the argument by suggesting "Then make mine 'Great Jones Street'".[2] An alternative possibility is that Great Jones Street is so named because it is wider than Jones Street.[1]
^ abBoland Jr., Ed. "F.Y.I.", The New York Times, March 17, 2002. Accessed September 8, 2008. "In 1789 a street was opened there, but New York already had a Jones Street in Greenwich Village. So the new street was named Great Jones Street because it was wider than the norm."
^"A THOROUGHLY UNFAIR QUIZ ABOUT NEW YORK", The New York Times, August 10, 1985. Accessed September 8, 2008. "When neither man would yield the honor of having a street named for him, Samuel settled the issue—and one-upped his brother-in-law—by saying, Then make mine Great Jones Street."
^Williams, Richard. "Tomorrow is a long time", The Guardian, August 16, 2008. Accessed September 8, 2008. "Wrapped around each other, they walked through the slush towards the camera. Hunstein says they were on Cornelia Street. Rotolo is convinced it was Jones Street."
^[2] Jones Street scene starts at 37:38; contrary to what the waitress says in the movie, the actual name of the establishment was Caffe Vivaldi - not Caffe Dante.
