Prolific fashion photographer Bill Cunningham passed away last month at the age of 87, and now the City is renaming a midtown intersection after him for a week.
The northeast corner of 57th Street and 5th Avenue will be declared "Bill Cunningham Corner" at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Deputy mayor Alicia Glen, former Met Costume Institute curator Harold Koda, and New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet will all be present at the conference to formally unveil a new street sign and honor Cunningham's contributions to fashion and street photography.
Cunningham worked for the New York Times for nearly 40 years and chronicled the city's style as it evolved with each changing season, from the catwalk to the sidewalk. He had an apartment near the intersection of 57th Street and 5th, and would frequently ride his bike to its northeast corner—just out side of the Louis Vuitton storefront—and take pictures.
In the days following Cunningham's death, art dealer Nick Nicholson started a petition to rename the intersection Bill Cunningham Corner. The campaign received over 6,000 online signatures, and had hoped to make the name change permanent. Permanently re-naming a New York City street has become increasingly difficult.
Nicholson, however, is thrilled that Cunningham is receiving the temporary honor. "We knew that a temporary street naming was a logical first step in the creation of a permanent memorial," Nicholson said. "We see this as the beginning in the process of creating a permanent memorial. This is a beautiful first step."
“Bill Cunningham turned our sidewalks into runways and New Yorkers into models,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday. “His vivid photos captured our city’s diversity in every sense of the word, and helped define New York as the fashion capital of the world. Now, the corner that has long been known as Bill’s will officially be named for him—a fitting tribute for one of New York’s greats.”
Update: Asked why the renaming was temporary, de Blasio communications advisor Amy Spitalnick said, "The Mayor just has the power to temporarily rename a street for a matter of days, so the Bill Cunningham Corner sign will be up for a week. A permanent name change process for a street is handled through the much more lengthy legislative process following the introduction of a co-naming by a City Council Member, Council approval, and, ultimately, a mayoral signature. The Administration will continue to work with the Council, the community, and Bill's friends and colleagues on a permanent way to honor his legacy."
