Following is a list of secondary street names in East Harlem and information about the people or institutions that have been so honored. The list, which is alphabetical by first initial of the first name, covers all secondary street names adopted since enactment of Local Law 28 of 1992, which provided that secondary street names did not require an alteration to the City Map. This list and information about the honorees are from the website NYC Honorary Street Names.
Northeast corner of East 122nd Street and 3rd Avenue
Honoree: Alfredo Armenteros (1928-2016), or “Chocolate” as he was affectionately known, was a renowned Afro-Cuban trumpeter. He was born in Cuba, where he established a reputation and made his first recordings. After the Cuban Revolution he moved to New York where he continued his career as a performer, composer and arranger. “Chocolate” played with the likes of Arsenio Rodriguez, Cachao Lopez, Beny More, Machito, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Larry Harlow, Tito Rodriguez, as well as Machito & His Afro-Cubans. He delivered dynamically rich and lyrically vibrant music to the Latino community for seven decades.
Lexington Avenue Between East 124th Street and East 131st Street
Honoree: Alice Grace Wragg Kornegay (1930-1996) was President of the Community Association of the East Harlem Triangle, Inc. which, under her direction, was responsible for the creation of many units of housing in the area bounded by Fifth Avenue, the East River, East 124th and East 132nd Streets.
East 106th Street Between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue
Honoree: Angelo Del Toro (1947-1994) was elected to the NYS Assembly in 1974 and represented his East Harlem community for the next 20 years. He was instrumental in the creation of Hostos Community College in the Bronx, the renovation of Boricua College in Manhattan and the establishment of Touro College in East Harlem.
Southeast corner of East 129th Street and 5th Avenue
Honoree: Ann Petry (1908-1997) was a ground-breaking African-American novelist, journalist, and biographer. She began her career as a journalist, writing for the Amsterdam News from 1938 until 1941 and the Peoples’ Voice of Harlem from 1941 until 1944, and then studied creative writing at Columbia University. Her first novel, The Street became a best-seller and was critically acclaimed for its portrayal of a working-class black woman, Lutie Johnson, who dreams of getting out of Harlem but is inevitably thwarted by the pressures of poverty and racism. It was one of the first novels by an African-American woman to receive widespread acclaim. Country Place depicts the disillusionment and corruption among a group of white people in a small town in Connecticut. Her third novel, The Narrows is the story of Link Williams, a Dartmouth-educated African American who tends bar in the black section of Monmouth, Connecticut, and of his tragic love affair with a rich white woman. Although often criticized for its melodramatic plot, it has been lauded for its supple style and its sympathetic characterizations. Petry’s short stories were collected in Miss Muriel and Other Stories. She also published several historical biographies for children, including Harriet Tubman, Conductor on the Underground Railroad and Tituba of Salem Village.
East 126th Street Between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue
Honoree: This co-naming commemorates the 60th Anniversary of a black-and-white photograph that has become an iconic image in the history of jazz and of Harlem. Titled ‘Harlem 1958,’ it shows 57 musicians, including nearly all of the most famous jazz figures of that era, gathered in front of 17 West 126th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. It was taken on August 12, 1958 by freelance photographer Art Kane (1925-1995) for Esquire magazine, which published the photo in its January 1959 issue. The image has come to be called A Great Day in Harlem, which is actually the name of the 1994 Oscar-nominated documentary about the photo.
Third Avenue Between East 124th and 125th Streets
Honoree: Battalion Chief Fred Scheffold (b. 1943) was assigned to the 12th Battalion located at 3rd Avenue and 124th Street and had served the community of East Harlem for a number of years. He died in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
East 124th Street Between Lexington and 3rd Avenues
Honoree: Battalion Chief Joseph Marchbanks (b. 1954) joined the NYFD in 1979. He was promoted to Battalion Chief in 1997 and transferred to the 12th Battalion, located at 124th Street and Third Avenue. He was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
East 106th Street between First Avenue and the Service Road of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, the Service Road of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive from East 106th Street to East 105th Street, East 105th Street between First Avenue and the Service Road
Honoree: Bernice Singletary (1932-2004) came to New York with her husband in 1958 and worked with Marionat Bridal Veils, Inc. as a seamstress and later at the Board of Education as a paraprofessional from 1968 until her retirement in June 1995. She was president of the Woodrow Wilson Tenant Association for over 30 years.
East 120th Street Between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
Honoree: Bishop Dr. Ezra Nehemiah Williams (1929-2009) was Senior Pastor of Bethel Gospel Assembly from February 1966 until February 2000. During his tenure as Senior Pastor he established Urban and Global Mission Alliance, Inc. in 1998. He was the former National President and Presiding Bishop of the United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God (UPCAG).
Northwest corner of East 112th Street and Park Avenue
Honoree: Charlie Palmieri, a composer and arranger, was a leading figure in Latin and Latin Jazz music in New York City and Puerto Rico from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was a frequent collaborator and confidante of many of the giants of Latin music including Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Vicente Valdez. He taught music for many years at the Johnny Colon Music Program in East Harlem.
West side of Lexington Avenue between 127th Street and 128th Street
Honoree: Cheyenne Baez (1993-2010), an honor student who mentored youth about gangs and peer pressure, was herself a victim of gun violence when she was fatally shot in the courtyard of Alice Kornegay Houses.
East 101st Street Between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue
Honoree: Cicely Tyson (1924-2021) was an American actress and fashion model. Born in the Bronx, she grew up in East Harlem. She began acting in the mid-1950s, finding roles in film, theater and television. In an acting career that spanned seven decades, she often portrayed strong African-American women. In 1972 she earned acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for her starring role in the film Sounder. She is perhaps best known, at least to older Americans, for the title role in the television movie “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman,” broadcast on CBS in January 1974. It was one of the first made-for-TV movies to deal in depth with African-American characters. The production, in which Tyson had to age from 23 to 110, won nine Emmy awards, including Best Actress and Actress of the Year for its star. For her work on stage and screen, she received numerous industry awards including three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Black Reel Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, one Tony Award, an honorary Academy Award, and a Peabody Award. In 2013, at the age of 88, she became the oldest person ever to win the Tony award for best actress, for her stage performance as Carrie Watts in “The Trip to Bountiful.” In 2015 she was a Kennedy Center honoree and in November 2016, she received the country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was also honored by the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Council of Negro Women. She was awarded the NAACP’s 2010 Spingarn Medal for her contribution to the entertainment industry, her modeling career, and her support of civil rights.
Southeast corner of East 100th Street and Third Avenue
Honoree: Floyd Branch, Jr. (d. August 2019) founded the NYC Bombsquad Basketball Classic, a non-profit league that served disadvantaged youth and aimed to keep kids in a safe environment. He founded the league in 1995 and ran the nonprofit for nearly 25 years until his death. He was a coach and mentor to thousands of youths. He served as head basketball coach of the varsity team at Rice High School for 11 years leading the team to four championship games. He also coached at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx.
East 123rd Street Between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
Honoree: Omar Edwards, was assigned to the 25th Precinct anti-crime team. In 2009, he was fatally shot in a friendly fire incident while he was in plain clothes chasing a man who had just broken into his car.
Intersection of 120th Street and Pleasant Avenue
Honoree: Detective Robert Cardona died in March 2020 from complications of COVID-19 contracted from a presumed exposure while on duty. At the time he contracted COVID-19, he was also in remission of 9/11- related cancer that he developed following exposure to hazardous materials during search and recovery efforts after the attack on the World Trade Center. Detective Cardona had served with the New York City Police Department for 18 years and was assigned to the 13th Precinct Detective Squad.
Southeast corner of 138th Street and Fifth Avenue
Honoree: Billy Taylor was a pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, lecturer, and author. He earned a doctorate in music education from the University of Massachusetts in 1975 and later had a higher profile on television than any other jazz musician of his generation. In 1965 he founded Jazzmobile, which presented free outdoor concerts throughout New York City. He lectured about jazz at music schools and wrote articles for DownBeat, Saturday Review, and other publications on jazz. He wrote more than 300 compositions.
Northwest corner of 135th Street and Madison Avenue
Honoree: John L. S. Holloman Jr. battled for health care for the poor, attacked racist practices in the American Medical Association, and was a prominent early voice warning of the threat of AIDS among minorities. In 1974, he was appointed by then-New York City Mayor Abraham D. Beame, as president of the four-year-old Hospitals Corporation. He was one of the longest-serving board members of the State University of New York from 1966 to 1995. He pressed for health care as a basic right and he campaigned tirelessly for national health insurance.
Intersection of Central Park North, East 110th Street and Fifth Ave
Honoree: Edward Kennedy Ellington (1899-1974) was a pianist, composer, and conductor. He was called Duke because of his meticulous dress and elegant manner. Born in Washington D.C., he came to New York in 1923. He became famous for performing at the Cotton Club, a whites-only nightclub, from 1927 to 1931. He and his orchestra, which he led for over 50 years, went on to tour worldwide, appear on film and television, and make numerous recordings.
East 101st Between 2nd Avenue and the FDR Drive
Honoree: Edwin G. Suarez (1940-2006) was District Leader of the 68th Assembly District as well as Special Legislative Assistant to Congressman Charles Rangel. He managed the Congressman’s East Harlem Outreach office and served as the political liaison to the diverse people and organizations of East Harlem.
Madison Avenue b/w East 118th Street and East 124th Street
Honoree: Eugene Louis McCabe (1937-1998) founded North General Hospital in 1979. It was the only minority-operated, voluntary, community teaching hospital in New York State. He also spearheaded the development of 300 units of affordable housing along once blighted Madison Avenue from 119th to 124th Streets. The hospital closed in 2010.
Southwest corner of East 118th Street and Park Avenue
Honoree: William E. Woodlon (1950-2016) was one of twelve African-Americans in his class when he joined the FDNY in January 1982. He was assigned to Engine 39 in Manhattan and was later transferred to Engine 21 in Murray Hill. He assisted in the search and rescue attempts at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks and died as a result of 9/11-related illness.
Southwest corner of East 115th Street and Pleasant Avenue
Honoree: A Giglio is a 75-85 foot tall wooden structure adorned with patron saints and colorful flowers. They are built in honor of an Italian town’s patron saint. It is carried on the shoulders of approximately 120 men in a ritual that dates back to 409 A.D. These annual feasts take place in August throughout Italy and here in the United States. The Giglio Society of East Harlem dates back to 1908 when Italian immigrants continued their tradition from their hometown of Brusciano in Italy.
Lexington Avenue Between 114th Street and 115th Street
Honoree: Hector Camacho (1962-2012) was a famous boxer. He moved to Spanish Harlem at the age of three. After gaining a passion for boxing at the age of eleven, he astonishingly won three New York City Golden Gloves titles. He was later mentored by his language teacher, Pat Flannery, who taught him to read and became a father figure, guiding him to the Golden Gloves. He fought and beat some of the best fighters of his generation, including Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Rafael “Bazooka” Limon. He was a talented and gifted man who inspired many through his passion for boxing. He mentored many young men in East Harlem and throughout New York City. He competed professionally from 1980 to 2010 and was a world champion in three weight classes. He held the WBC super featherweight title from 1983 to 1984, the WBC lightweight title from 1985 to 1987, and the WBO junior welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1992. In his amateur career, he won three New York Golden Gloves tournaments, beginning with the Sub-Novice 112 pounds championship in 1978. During his professional career, he had many notable fights against some of the biggest names in boxing, defeating Roberto Durán twice late in Duran’s career, and knocking out Sugar Ray Leonard to send him into permanent retirement. He also fought Julio César Chávez, Félix Trinidad, and Oscar De La Hoya, among others. In his later years, he expanded his popular role and appeared on a variety of Spanish-language reality television shows including Univision’s’ dancing show Mira Quien Baila and a weekly segment on the popular show El Gordo y La Flaca, named “Macho News.
128th Street Between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue
Honoree: James Baldwin (1924-1987) was a major American writer who also became a prominent figure of the Civil Rights Movement. His best-known work is his partly autobiographical novel “Go Tell It On The Mountain”. Fed up with racism and homophobia in the U.S., he moved to France in the late 1940s and lived mainly there for most of his life. In 1956, he published “Giovanni’s Room,” dealing with the issues of race and homosexuality. In 1957 he returned to the United States to participate in the Civil Rights Movement alongside Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. In 1961, he published an important essay on race relations and the role of writers in society entitled “Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son,” which would be followed in 1962 by the novel “Another Country.” In 1963, he published “The Fire Next Time” on the history of black protest. He also wrote two plays, “The Amen Corner” (1955), and “Blues for Mister Charlie” (1964).
Intersection of East 123rd Street and Second Avenue
Honoree: Jesus Laviera (1950-2013) was one of the best-known representatives of the Nuyorican school of poetry. He published books, plays and poems, and made hundreds of appearances at colleges and literary events. He was involved with the University of the Streets, which helped adults obtain a high school diploma and attend college; was an administrator at the Association of Community Services; and directed the Hispanic Drama Workshop. His most famous book, La Carreta Made a U-Turn, earned him an invitation to the White House by President Jimmy Carter to an event for distinguished American poets. His second book, Enclave, made him the first Hispanic author to win the American Book Award of the Before Columbus Foundation. Poems from his third publication, American, have been included in more than 30 anthologies.
Northwest corner of 130th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: Johnnie Mae Johnson fought for social justice in her East Harlem community for more than 50 years. As District Leader of the 70th Assembly District, Part A, she was instrumental in getting a pedestrian bridge built to provide a safe crossing into Harlem River Park. She was a founding member of the non-profit Addie Mae Collins Head Start Program and later became PTA president at PS 133. Ms. Johnson also helped many people who wanted to register to vote, taking them through the process so they could participate in elections. (Perkins)
Service road adjacent to Harlem River Drive b/w East 135th Street and 138th Street
Honoree: In 1945, after earning her law degree from Columbia, Constance Baker Motley (1921-2005) became a law clerk for Thurgood Marshall, and later worked for the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In 1950 she assisted in drafting the complaint in the landmark suit Brown v. Board of Education. In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Motley and her fellow lawyers, declaring that separate schooling for black and white students was unconstitutional. She also represented Martin Luther King Jr. so that he could march in Albany, Georgia. She won 9 of 10 civil rights cases that she argued before the Supreme Court. She was the first black woman elected to the New York State Senate; the first female president of the Borough of Manhattan; and the first black woman to serve as a federal judge, appointed by President Johnson to the bench of the Southern District of New York. She went on to become chief judge of the district in 1982 and senior judge in 1986.
106th Street From 5th Avenue to the East River
Honoree: Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) was a highly regarded poet and an advocate for Puerto Rican independence. She lived on 105th Street in East Harlem for many years before her untimely death at the age of 39.
East 116th Street b/w Third Avenue and Madison Avenue
Honoree: José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (1898 – 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the “Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth.”
In 1948, he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico, spearheading an administration that engineered profound economic, political and social reforms; accomplishments that were internationally lauded by many politicians, statesmen, political scientists and economists of the period.
Intersection of East 114th Street and 5th Avenue
Honoree: Fire Lieutenant Robert Nagel began his career with the FDNY in 1973, and was promoted to Lieutenant on June 9, 1988. He served with Engine Company 58 in Harlem from June 9, 1990, until his death in the line of duty on 9/11/01.
East side of East 107th Street and 3rd Avenue
Honoree: Marie Dickson (1923-2007) served on the Community Board for over 20 years. As chair of key committees, she advocated for better parkland in the district and for drug rehabilitation and youth prevention programs.
Intersection of 2nd Avenue and 116th Street
Honoree: This co-naming commemorates the Fall of Tenochtitlan. It was the capital of the Aztec Empire and among the largest cities in the world at the time of its brutal conquest in 1521 by Spanish forces under Hernan Cortes.
Northwest corner of East 105th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: Aida Perez-Loiza Aldea (1935-2012), born in Puerto Rico, was a community and cultural leader in East Harlem. She retired from the City’s Child Support Division after 25 years of service and then worked part-time at the Covello Senior Center until she passed away. She also was president of Los Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza and an organizer of the annual Fiesta Loiza Aldea for 35 years. She founded and was an active member of many cultural organizations in East Harlem including La Fiesta Folklorica Puertoriqueno, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, and El Museo del Barrio.
East 119th Street b/w Park and Lexington Avenues
Honoree: Mary Iemma (b. 1918) was the first African-American to develop more than five hundred affordable apartments for families in East Harlem. She organized a development program in East Harlem called the Upper Park Avenue Community Association (UPACA).
Fifth Avenue b/w East 104th Street and 110th Street
Honoree: This co-naming extends the Museum Mile name to 110th Street.
Fifth Avenue Between 125th Street and 126th Street
Honoree: The National Black Theatre was founded in 1968 by dancer/actress Barbara Ann Teer (1937-2008). Since its inception NBT has produced over 300 plays, primarily by black artists, and its productions have toured throughout the U.S. and abroad. NBT operates out of its own building at 2031 Fifth Avenue.
Intersection of East 106th Street and Third Avenue
Honoree: Osvaldo Vega (1921-1983) enlisted in the U.S. Navy in World War II, where he was in the same company as future President John. F. Kennedy. After his discharge, he met with a group of distinguished athletes concerned about the future of our children. They founded the Puerto Rican Hispanic Sports Council (PRHSC). Osvaldo Vega was its president for 30 years until his death.
First Avenue Between 117th Street and 118th Street
Honoree: Patsy Lancieri was the founder and long-time proprietor of Patsy’s Pizzeria, an East Harlem landmark that opened in 1933. Over the years, Mr. Lancieri donated food from his restaurant to many community groups including “Each One Teach One”, “Youth Education Through Sports”, and the Manhattan Science Center.
Northwest corner 115th Street and Park Avenue
Honoree: Pedro ‘Pete’ Velez was a founding member and captain of the Young Devils stickball team, which was organized in 1943. Over the years, the Young Devils has grown to several baseball, softball, football, stickball and basketball teams and also added winter youth programs and programs for seniors. The organization also provided meals for members on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
East 116th Street b/w First Avenue and Second Avenue
Honoree: Michael Peter Pascale (1914-1997) devoted his entire working life to the LaGuardia Memorial House on East 116th Street, serving for 45 years as its Executive Director until his retirement in 1988. Through his affiliation with the Fresh Air Fund, he sent more than 50,000 children to the country for Fresh Air Fund vacations.
Southwest and northeast corners of 2nd Avenue and 111th Street
Honoree: Petra Allende (1920-2002) was a leader in the effort to abolish literacy tests for voting. She was elected to the Board of the Model Cities Program and was active in promoting housing and economic development in East Harlem.
East 111th Street b/w 1st Avenue and FDR Drive
Honoree: Phillip Reed (1949-2008) was the first openly gay black member of the New York City Council, representing East Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side and the South Bronx. He was a champion of asthma prevention legislation, HIV/AIDS programs, and affordable housing.
Intersection of East 120th Street and the FDR Drive
Honoree: Randolph Holder (d. 2020) served with the NYPD for five years and was assigned to Police Service Area 5. He was killed in the line of duty on October 20, 2020.
Northeast corner of 109th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: Pura Belpre (1899-1982) was the first Puerto Rican Librarian in New York State. She was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico and after moving to New York, began working in the garment industry and then became the Hispanic Assistant at the 135th Street Library. During her tenure there, she created outreach programming in Spanish, which was unheard of at the time. It was at the 135th Street Library that she found her love for storytelling. She began her formal schooling in 1926 at the Library School of the New York Public Library. In 1929, she was transferred to the 115th Street Library, where she would stay for the rest of her career. There she instituted bilingual story hours and incorporated traditional Puerto Rican holidays into the Library’s schedule. In 1932, she published her first book, Pérez and Martina, which was a folk tale her grandmother used to tell her. It was the first Puerto Rican book to be read at story time in the Library’s history. In addition to her work within the library system, she helped compile the Archivo de Documentación Puertorriqueña, which collects original Puerto Rican documents. She wrote short stories and compiled The Tiger and the Rabbit and Other Tales, the first collection of Puerto Rican stories to be published in English in the United States. After her husband’s death in 1960, she resumed her part-time work at the 115th Library as the Spanish Children’s Specialist; however, she also traveled to other areas in New York City that had a high concentration of Puerto Rican children to ensure that they had a library to go to. After retiring in 1968, she helped establish the South Bronx Library Project, which promotes and provides library use and services to Latino communities in the Bronx. She helped the NYPL address the needs of the Spanish-speaking community throughout the city. Her legacy can still be seen today, helping the Spanish-speaking community to utilize and feel welcome in our public libraries.
East 104th Street b/w Fifth and Madison Avenues
Honoree: Richard Lonnie Williams began his career with Boys Harbor, Inc. as a young counselor in 1954. In 1964 he became an official of the U.S Labor Department, directing a youth employment program, and was later district director of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1969 he became Executive Director of Boys Harbor and with its founder, Anthony D. Duke, helped build it into an organization with a staff of 200 serving some 4,000 boys and girls annually. He died in 1995 at age 60.
East 103rd Street from the west side of Third Avenue to the east side of Park Avenue
Honoree: Rafael Tufiño (1922-2008) a painter and printmaker, was one of Puerto Rico’s most prominent cultural figures. He was a founder of East Harlem’s Taller Boricua and was also influential in the establishment of El Museo del Barrio.
Intersection of East 128th Street and Park Avenue
Honoree: Reverend Allen James (d. 2020) profoundly impacted the lives of countless residents in East Harlem and beyond. After a decade-long battle with addiction, Reverend Allen founded the Addicts Rehabilitation Center (ARC), one of the oldest, largest, and most successful intensive residential drug-free programs in New York. ARC serves the chronically homeless, the mentally impaired, people living with HIV/AIDS, veterans, and those with other special needs. In his tenure, he built six new buildings and renovated four buildings that produced over 900 units of affordable housing. He also started the ARC Gospel Choir to help encourage former addicts to stay clean. His hard work not only inspired health and clean living but also paved the way for other community-based organizations to continue his efforts in assisting those in need.
At the northeast and southeast corners of 100th Street and 2nd Avenue
Honoree: Rev. Norm Eddy (1920-2013) and Peg, his wife (1926-1990) who was also a minister, helped start a drug treatment program, a tenants’ group, a housing project, a credit union and the myriad self-help organizations that have sustained his work there for over 60 years. He served as a pastor of the East Harlem Protestant Parish, an assembly of four storefront churches that they had helped establish in 1951 while attending Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan. They helped tenants in disputes with landlords and sometimes mediated gang rivalries. They helped establish one of the city’s first counseling centers for addicts. They also helped organize the East Harlem Credit Union Committee, the East Harlem Narcotics Committee, and the Metro North Citizens’ Committee, whose efforts led, by the mid-1960s, to the construction of 200 units of affordable housing that anchored a gradual neighborhood revival.
At the intersection of 115th Street and 1st Avenue
Honoree: Robert Ross (1968-2021) was raised in East Harlem and later moved to Thomas Jefferson Housing. At the age of 12, he used his pen to make beats off of any surface and to write his rap verses. He was given an opportunity to sign to Bad Boy Records in the late 1990’s. From that point forward, he was known professionally as Black Rob. He was best known for his 2000 single “Whoa!,” which peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hit Records like “Whoa” & “Can I Live” solidified Black Rob in the Rap Game as one of the greats. He released three studio Albums “Life Story & The Black Rob Report” on Bad Boy Records & “Game Tested, Streets Approved” on Duck Down Records. To date, B.R. has sold over three million records and has touched millions of people through his music. He had toured the world and always came back home to encourage and provide opportunities for his friends and the youth in East Harlem. He was responsible for introducing East Harlem’s native G.Dep to Bad Boy Records. In 2000, he was jailed for third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and a probation violation. In 2006, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for grand larceny in connection with a November 2004 hotel robbery. He was caught on a security camera leaving a New York hotel with a woman’s purse. Authorities said he pocketed more than $6,000 in the theft. He pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property and was sentenced to two to six years in jail. Although he was free on bail, he never reported for sentencing and was eventually rearrested.
East 120th Street b/w First Avenue and Pleasant Avenue
Honoree: Robert Rodriguez (1951-1994) was, in 1976, the youngest person ever elected to the City Council. In 1982 he became Director of Labor Relations for the NYFD. While still at the Council, He founded the East Harlem Multi-Service Center (EHMC), located on this block, which helps thousands of East Harlem families each year.
East 97th Street b/w Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
Honoree: During his tenure as Archbishop of North America, Saint Tikhon (1865-1925) moved the Headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Christian Church of America from San Francisco to 15 East 97th Street, where the St. Nicholas Cathedral remains today. His office and personal residence as Archbishop was also moved to this location. The cathedral was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and was blessed by Saint Tikhon in 1902. His mission for the Cathedral was to invite people from all walks of life to pray and witness its beauty. He held services in Spanish and English to meet the growing needs of the local Upper East Side community and encouraged the creation of women’s groups in all parishes under his supervision. Quite ahead of his time, he conducted a fruitful dialogue with other Churches – Orthodox, Catholic, Episcopal, and even other non-Christian faiths. This mission of inclusion and community is cherished and continues today; Saint Nicholas Cathedral’s doors are open to all who wish to visit and find peace. He was canonized as a saint on November 1, 1981.
East 126th Street b/w Madison Avenue and Park Avenue
Honoree: This co-naming honors St. James Church which was opened in 1859.
East 109th Street b/w 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue
Honoree: Of all the games that rose from the streets of urban America, none carried more mystique than Stickball. The 111th Street Oldtimers, organized in 1968, used Stickball to reach out to young and old alike, to stay involved and make their neighborhoods a better place to live. In 2001, they and other Stickball aficionados created the Stickball Hall of Fame, located at the Museum of the City of New York.
Southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and East 106th Street
Honoree: Terence Cardinal Cooke (1921-1983) was ordained a priest in 1945. He served as chaplain for St. Agatha’s Home for Children in Nanuet and later was appointed an Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York by Pope Paul VI. In March 1968, he was named the seventh Archbishop of New York as well as Vicar Apostolic for the United States Military. As archbishop, he founded Birthright, which offers women alternatives to abortion; the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which provides financial aid for Catholic School students; an Archdiocesan Housing Development Program providing housing to the City’s disadvantaged, and nine nursing homes. After his death, there was a movement to canonize him as a saint. In 1992, the Congregation for the Cause of Saints designated him as a Servant of God, the first step in the process that leads to beautification and then canonization as a saint. Documentation of Cooke’s life’s work was presented to Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. If approved, Cooke will receive the title Venerable, the second step leading to sainthood.
East 110th Street b/w Fifth Avenue and First Avenue
Honoree: Tito Puente (1923-2000) lived in East Harlem. As a composer and performer of Latin jazz and salsa, he was perhaps the most important figure in America’s Latin Music scene in a career spanning more than 50 years.
East 104th Street b/w Second Avenue and Third Avenue
Honoree: Union Settlement opened in 1895 and serves the East Harlem community with educational programming for youth, job preparation, assistance and programs for seniors and health screenings.
Northeast corner of 116th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: The Lucky Corner is at the intersection of East 116th Street and Lexington Avenue, a site that represented both a crossroads and a borderline. Here was a stop for East Harlem’s sole subway line, and for crosstown as well as north-south buses. In the early 20th century Lexington Avenue was the informal border between Italian Harlem–America’s largest Little Italy—and Jewish East Harlem, which was gradually replaced by El Barrio, the largest Puerto Rican community in the United States. Also, East 116th Street is East Harlem’s major shopping street. Closer to the East River it served as Italian Harlem’s corso, the street where the doctors, dentists, and political leaders lived. From 1924 until the 1960s, the Lucky Corner was the site of Election Eve rallies. The first took place in 1924 when Vito Marcantonio introduced Fiorello La Guardia, who was running for his second Congressional term from the East Harlem district.
Southeast corner of East 112th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: William Soto was a community leader in East Harlem. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, he was integral in helping to build connections between African-American and Latino political leaders. He sat on the board of directors for the organization, Massive Economic Neighborhood Development (MEND) and helped to found several other organizations, including El Grito del Barrio, Aguilar Senior Citizens, and Concerned Citizens of East Harlem. He devoted himself to helping his community through his passion for baseball as well, hosting a sports radio program, “Amateur Sports”, a newsletter, and had a baseball team sponsored by Eastern Airlines and Goya Foods. He advocated for local teams, many of which were made up of young Puerto Ricans, and fought to ensure that improvements were made to local fields.
Southeast corner of East 120th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: Yolanda Sanchez was an author, educator, social worker, community organizer, and administrator. She was the executive director of, and helped create, the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs (PRACA) in the 1960s. She was instrumental in the creation of three major institutions for the poor and working class of East Harlem: Taino Towers (Section 8 housing), Boriken Health Center (primary care), and Casabe Houses (senior housing).
Intersection of East 111th Street and Lexington Avenue
Honoree: The Young Lords, which began as a Chicago street gang, evolved into a political group. In 1969, its NYS chapter was formed as a human rights organization, highlighting issues of poverty and social inequality. Some members went on to careers in the media, including Pablo Guzman, Juan Gonzalez, and Geraldo Rivera.