Diana Ross, Peter Jennings and Run DMC all have something unusual in common. Each of has a New York City street or playground named after them.
You can find where each of their eponymous spots are, thanks to a new map by the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS). The map helps connect people to the nearly 2,500 streets, intersections and other locations that have been co-named after notable people.
The new tool comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams designated DORIS as the agency responsible for sharing background information on co-named locations on its website in 2023.
Using mapping software from the Office of Technology and Innovation, application developers built an interactive map that allows users to quickly find biographical or background information about the person or entity for whom the name change took place — right from their phones.
For example, the map informs users that the corner of Park Row and Spruce Street in Manhattan, co-named “Elizabeth Jennings Way,” honors Jennings, a Black teacher who integrated the City’s trolleys in 1854 by refusing to “get off” when instructed.
The map showing the biographies of New Yorkers was developed during the summer by the DORIS application development team and interns who entered data for the interactive map.
There are currently 2,496 entries – 1,610 of those entries are co-named intersections, and 886 are co-named streets.
The map is searchable by the name of the individual, zip code, and categories such as “firefighter” or “police officer.” Users can reference the website to find out more about each person honored with a co-named location.
In 2002 and 2003, local laws named more than 400 streets for first responders killed on 9/11. Many of those streets lack biographical information. DORIS is working with the Council to gather this biographical information for inclusion in an upcoming local law.
All biographical information in the map is taken from the enacted local law.
Established in 1977, DORIS preserves and provides public access to the historical and contemporary records of New York City government.
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