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May 19, 2013

What's it gonna take to see Jerry Orbach Way?

by Joel Keller, posted Mar 8th 2007 12:38PM

Jerry OrbachIf you spend any time in New York City, you'll notice that a lot of the streets have two names, the actual name and the ceremonial name. Stretches of NYC streets are named after Peter Jennings, Humphrey Bogart, and Joey Ramone, among others. So you'd think if you were the family of the late Jerry Orbach, it would be pretty easy to get a street or corner named after the Broadway legend and Law & Order stalwart. Think again.

The New York Times reports that Orbach's widow, Elaine, has been turned down in her quest to have the corner of 53rd St. and 8th Ave., where the two used to live, named in Jerry's honor. Apparently the community board that governs that corner turns down all renaming requests on principle, wanting to keep the cityscape it governs as clutter-free as possible. But Elaine Orbach is determined; she intends on brining Jerry's 96-year-old mother and one of his sons to tonight's board meeting. Maybe Jerry's mom can guilt them into naming the corner after him.

[via Gothamist and Pop Candy]

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Jeri

Thanks for the extra publicity for this.I found this astonishing. More tv viewers world wide know NYC through the eyes of Jerry Orbach than from any other tv show. He has been called the mascot of NYC. He was named a "Living Landmark", along with fellow castmate Sam Waterston, by the New York Landmarks Conservancy in 2002. I found the website of the council that oversees community board 5, go to www.nyccouncil.info. If you go down to the bottom of the page, there's a link to email the Community Council speaker. Please let her know that Mrs. Orbach's wishes, the tribute to Jerry Orbach, should be considered. Her target is 53rd Street and Eighth Avenue , where she and her late husband lived for 25 years before he died in December 2004 at age 69. I hope community board 5 will not continue to deny Jerry Orbach this honor that he deserves. You can email Community Board 5 at To email Community Board 5, office@cb5.org. Thanks!

March 08 2007 at 3:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
TomB

When I try to imagine what a seasoned, born and bred New Yorker might be like I immediately think of Jerry Orbach.

Not only did he epitomize the New York City character on Law and Order (the show has been quite unremarkable since he left), but he was also the real deal.

March 08 2007 at 2:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Porchland

Nobody put Jerry Orbach's wife in a corner.

March 08 2007 at 2:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
const

why does Peter Jennings have a "way"? What did he ever do that distinguished him in NYC? Read off a teleprompter every night?


Jerry Orbach is a NYer through and through.

March 08 2007 at 1:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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