You are reading

Three Streets in Astoria/Long Island City to Be Co-Named After Notable Queens Men

Left to right: George S. Kaufman (kaufmanorganization.com), Luis Alvarez (Facebook), and Whitey Ford (Friends of Whitey Ford Field)

Dec. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The names of three well known Queens men who recently passed away will be appearing on street corners in Astoria and Long Island City next year.

The streets are among 92 citywide — including several in Queens — approved by the City Council Thursday to be co-named.

One of the streets will be named after Whitey Ford, the Yankees pitcher and Hall-of-Famer who died in October at the age of 91. Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Board” for his winning record, Ford grew up playing ball in the sandlots of Astoria before going pro.

According to the council bill, 43rd Street between 34th Avenue and 35th Avenue will be co-named Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford Way.

Another Queens street corner — the southwest corner of 50th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard — will be co-named Luis Alvarez Way after the 9/11 first responder who fought for the extension of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Alvarez, a retired NYPD detective who was born in Cuba and raised in Astoria, died in July 2019 at the age of 53 from colorectal cancer. He had attributed his illness to the three months he spent searching for victims following the 9/11 attacks.

A third borough street corner will be named after George S. Kaufman, a real estate developer who revived the dilapidated Astoria Studios in the 1980s and built it into one of the largest production studios in New York City.

Kaufman’s revamp of the studios is credited for revitalizing the southern section of Astoria by attracting new businesses and cultural centers. Kaufman died at the age of 89 in February 2018.

The northwest corner of 35th Avenue and 36th Street will be co-named George S. Kaufman Way.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

4 Comments

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

MTA opens three new modernized elevators at the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the opening of three new modernized elevators at the Queens Plaza E/M/R subway station in Long Island City earlier this month as part of a larger accessibility and safety upgrades throughout the transit system.

The work included a full replacement of the cab and equipment within the cab, shaft and pit, along with two new elevator head houses located at street level. Crews also made modifications to the shaft and pit as needed to allow for new equipment. The elevator machine room and electrical and mechanical equipment received replacements and other modernization efforts for reliability.

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.

Can Queens’ food scene thrive with both trucks and restaurants?

Aug. 19, 2025 By Jessica Militello

In Jackson Heights at 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, Roosevelt Avenue is buzzing with energy as commuters file in and out of subway cars and onto the street and cars and trucks grapple to get down the busy road. The street is filled with rows of shops and restaurants, along with food carts, street vendors and food trucks along the avenue. The almost-but-not-quite the weekend lag leaves hungry commuters faced with another choice to make throughout their day and the array of food truck options in busy areas like Jackson Heights offers customers convenience and delicious food without breaking the bank, two features that can feel vital, particularly with rising costs of living and pressure from inflation.