Introduction: In the 5 boroughs of NYC, the most prevalent manner in which notables are honored is to name a street after them. It's essentially Gotham's metaphor to Hollywood's Walk of Fame or Chicago honoring most everyone who ever stepped foot on a sidewalk
Background: Unlike LA, where businessmen decide the honorees, NY's process is left in the hands of the city council, who approves names which mayors sign-off on. As a rule, entertainers take a back seat to fallen heroes and political hacks. Post-9/11, sign crews were very busy.
Honorary Streets?
The renaming of streets to an 'honorary secondary status' keeps the grid navigable. A parcel mailed to 'Minnelli Way' would likely end up back at the origin as "undeliverable". Much like the Postmaster, most residents don't recognize them either; due in part to their low tier status or the drowned-out effect.
Signage Designations:
Once an approved name makes its way through the political process, the Mayor issues a press release & a ceremony date is announced. There are essentially 3 types of honors - denoted by sign color:
► Green: Denoting Permanent Status
► Brown: Located in a Historic District
► Blue: Temporary
Temporary Designations?
Blue temporarily named streets cost $400 & are installed for the period of a month. Used as an alternative device to promote a new show opening doesn't always guarantee non-controversiality. Even with their short life span, you're bound to hear disgreement or howls of protest. In March 2009, U2 Way was installed 1 week & was green. (Perhaps Irish ancestry was a legitimate color coding exclusion).
Other Series Lists:
► Recording Artists, Composers and Label Execs With Stars On Hollywood's Walk Of Fame
► Artists and Personalities Commemorated With An Honorary City Of Chicago Street Name
► Rolling Stones Themed Roadway Names in Dartford, Kent's Phase 3 Bridge Development
Epilogue:
Without any further, unreadable ado - Some of the RYM artists who've received accolades across NYC...
| Leonard Bernstein Name: Leonard Bernstein Place Location: West 65th Street Between Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue [Adjacent to Avery Fisher Hall] Dedicated: August 1993 Neighborhood: Lincoln Square, Manhattan Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Nat "King" Cole Name: Nat King Cole Walk Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. / 125th Street [Parallel to the Apollo Theater] Neighborhood: Harlem Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Joe DiMaggio Name: Joe DiMaggio Highway Location: West Side Highway [West Street] (5 4/10 Miles of State Route 9A Along the Hudson River - From 72nd Street South to Battery Park) Dedicated: March 30, 1999 Neighborhood: Manhattan's West Side Status: Permanent & Official Photo | |
| Duke Ellington Name: Duke Ellington Circle Location: Pioneers' Gate in Central Park (110th Street & Fifth Avenue) Dedicated: 1997 Neighborhood: Harlem, New York Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Bill Graham Name: Bill Graham's Way Location: Second Avenue Between 6th & 7th Streets [Across From Original Fillmore East - Now Shuttered] Dedicated: February 23, 1994 Neighborhood: East Village, Manhattan Status: Permanent Photo | |
| W.C. Handy Name: WC Handy's Place Location: West 52nd Street Between 6th & 7th Avenues Dedicated: 1979 Neighborhood: Manhattan's Theater District Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Robert F. Kennedy Name: Robert F. Kennedy Bridge Location: TriBoro Bridge Dedicated: November 19, 2008 Neighborhood: Suspension Bridge Connecting North Manhattan Island to Astoria, Queens & The South Bronx Status: Permanent & Official Photo | |
| Héctor Lavoe Name: Héctor Lavoe Boulevard Location: East Tremont Avenue (A 20 Block Stretch Between Webster Avenue & Boston Road) Approved July 17, 2009 Neighborhood: Belmont Section of The Bronx Status: Permanent Photo | |
| John Lennon Name: Strawberry Fields Location: New York's Central Park (2½ Acres Between 71st to 74th Streets) Dedicated: March 26, 1981 Neighborhood: Manhattan's Upper West Side Status: Permanent & Official Photo | |
| Jackie Mason Name: Jackie Mason Way Location: 45th Street Between Broadway & 8th Avenue Dedicated: May 1995 Neighborhood: Manhattan's Theater District Status: Temporary [Photo Unavailable] | |
| Bob Marley Name: Bob Marley Boulevard Location: Church Avenue & Remsen Avenue Dedicated: July 5, 2006 Neighborhood: East Flatbush, Brooklyn Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Liza Minnelli Name: Minnelli Way Location: 50th Street at 6th Avenue Dedicated: 1990s Neighborhood: Manhattan's Theater District Status: Temporary [Photo Unavailable] | |
| Thelonious Monk Name: Thelonious Sphere Monk Circle Location: 63rd Street (Dead End Stretch off West End Avenue) Dedicated: June 23, 1983 Neighborhood: Lincoln Square, Manhattan Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Charlie Parker Name: Charlie Parker Place Location: Avenue B - Between 7th & 10th Street Dedicated: 1992 Neighborhood: Alphabet City, Lower East Side, Manhattan Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Regis Philbin Name: Regis Philbin Avenue Location: Cruger Avenue - Between Sagamore Street & Bronxdale Avenue Dedicated: 1995 Neighborhood: Morris Park, Bronx Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Edgar Allan Poe Name: Edgar Allan Poe Street Location: West 84th Street Between Broadway & West End Avenue Dedicated: 1980 [Originally Misspelled Edgar Allen Poe Street] Neighborhood: Manhattan's Upper West Side Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Gilda Radner Name: Gilda Radner Way Location: Northwest Corner of Sixth Avenue & West Houston Street Dedicated: September 2005 Neighborhood: Greenwich Village, New York Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Joey Ramone Name: Joey Ramone Place Location: Corner of 2nd Street & Bowery Dedicated: November 2003 Neighborhood: Lower East Side, New York Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt Name: FDR Drive Location: East River Drive (9 4/10 Miles Along the East River - From the Intersection of 10th Avenue & Dyckman Street South to Delancy Street) Dedicated: 1945 Neighborhood: Manhattan's East Side Status: Permanent & Official Photo | |
| Run-D.M.C. Name: Run DMC – JMJ Way Location: 205th Street & Hollis Avenue Dedicated: August 2, 2009 Neighborhood: Hollis, Queens Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Sesame Street Name: 123 Sesame Street Location: West 64th Street & Broadway Dedicated: November 9, 2009 Neighborhood: Lincoln Center South Status: Temporary Photo | |
| Tiny Tim Name: Tiny Tim Place Location: 34th Street Between 7th & 8th Avenues Dedicated: 1990s Neighborhood: Manhattan's Garment District Status: Temporary [Photo Unavailable] | |
| U2 Name: U2 Way Location: 53rd Street Between Broadway & 8th Avenue Dedicated: March 3, 2009 Neighborhood: Manhattan's Theater District Status: Temporary (March 3-10) Photo | |
| Dave Van Ronk Name: Dave Van Ronk Street Location: Barrow Street & Washington Place Dedicated: June 2004 Neighborhood: Greenwich Village, New York Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Señor Wences Name: Señor Wences Way Location: West 53rd Street at Broadway Dedicated: 1990s Neighborhood: Manhattan's Theater District Status: Permanent Photo | |
| Malcolm X Name: Malcolm X Boulevard Location #1: Lenox Avenue (Between 110th & 147th Street) Harlem Neighborhood #1: Harlem Status: Permanent & Official Photo Location #2: Northern Extension of Utica Avenue (Between Fulton Street & Broadway) Neighborhood #2: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Photo | |
| Henny Youngman Name: Henny Youngman Way Location: 55th Street & Sixth Avenue Dedicated: March 15, 1996 Neighborhood: Midtown Manhattan Status: Permanent Photo (Youngman lived to attended) |
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