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.
