Dozens of Spider-Man fans, Queens residents and elected officials gathered in Forest Hills Monday morning to celebrate “Kid from Queens” by co-naming a portion of Ingram Street as “Spider-Man Way” in honor of the iconic web-slinger’s deep ties to the neighborhood and the borough.
The co-naming, officially unveiled Oct. 12 at the intersection of Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue, took place just steps away from 20 Ingram St., revealed to be the home of Peter Parker in a comic in 1989.
Council Member Lynn Schulman, who introduced the co-naming legislation in the City Council following relentless advocacy from Assemblymember Sam Berger, said the co-naming aimed to honor a superhero who has “woven himself into the fabric” of Forest Hills and Queens.
Photo by Shane O’Brien
A large number of elected officials joined Schulman and Berger for Monday’s ceremony, including Council Speaker Julie Menin, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, state Sen. Leroy Comrie and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Dozens of young Spider-Man fans, taking advantage of a day off school on Columbus Day, also attended the ceremony, several of whom dressed up as the famous web-slinger to celebrate as their local hero was honored.
Two young Spider-Man fans came out for Monday’s co-naming ceremony. Photo by Shane O’Brien
“Spider-Man has really changed my life,” said Catalina Kaloferoe, a young Spider-Man fan who will soon move to Forest Hills. “Peter Parker and Spider-Man mean everything, especially to people who have grown up in Queens. It means everything (to see a street co-named after Spider-Man). To see that Spider-Man is finally being recognized as living at 20 Ingram St. It’s crazy to see him up there on a sign after so many years as a comic book character.”
Musa, a resident of Forest Hills who attended the ceremony alongside his friends, said it is “wonderful” to see Spidey memorialized on Ingram Street.
“It’s wonderful,” Musa said. “Spider-Man is a cool hero. He always saves the day and stops villains.”
Elected officials, meanwhile, touted Spider-Man as a Queens character that has endured for generations, with Berger as a “fitting home” for the famous comic book character.
Berger and several other speakers at the ceremony said it was not Spider-Man’s web-slinging or superpowers that made him so popular across multiple generations, but Peter Parker’s working-class roots and responsibilities.
“Peter Parker isn’t a billionaire living in a tower. He isn’t an alien descending from space. He’s a kid from Queens who has homework, bills to pay, family problems, and a thousand reasons to say he can’t help today, and yet, time and time again, he shows up,” Berger said. “That’s the neighbor we want to be. That’s the community we want to build, and that’s the legacy we want to pass on to our children.”
Schulman, meanwhile, said Spider-Man has captured imaginations for decades because he is a reminder that “you don’t have to come from somewhere superhuman to do extraordinary things.”
“The greatest heroes are right in our backyards here in Queens and neighborhoods are full of people who show up for one another, give back to their communities, and make a difference in the lives of those around them,” Schulman said. “Today is another day to celebrate what makes our borough so special.”
Richards noted that other cities may be home to popular fictional characters, but said characters like Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia and Sherlock Holmes in London do not boast the same connection to their home city as Spider-Man does with Queens.
“Rocky could never lay a glove on Spider-Man,” Richards said. “Through all of his crime-fighting and city-saving, he never forgot where he came from… Before he belonged to Spider-Man fans around the world, Peter Parker belonged to us first in Forest Hills, Queens.”
Menin, on the other hand, said the ceremony also showcased the importance of facilitating location filming in New York City, stating that the dozens of Spider-Man fans who attended the co-naming were a testament to the joy of seeing the city featured in popular culture.
“It is not only bringing jobs, it’s bringing joy to our children,” Menin said. “It’s basically making sure that these characters that come to life are being shot right here in New York City.”
Several Disney and Marvel representatives also spoke of the enduring connection between Peter Parker and Queens, stating that the working-class connection is an integral part of Spider-Man’s success.
Mark Ditko (center) and Nick Lowe (right) at Monday’s ceremony. Photo by Shane O’Brien
Mark Ditko, whose uncle Steve co-created Spider-Man alongside Stan Lee, said his uncle went to “great lengths” to define Peter Parker as a “regular person from a regular neighborhood.”
“Somehow, this teenage kid from Queens became one of the most recognizable fictional characters in modern pop culture,” Ditko said. “Millions of kids and adults have worn that mask.”
Mark Ditko, nephew of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. Photo by Shane O’Brien
Nick Lowe, editor of the Spider-Man comics, noted that Spider-Man may have traveled all across the multiverse in recent adaptations but said Forest Hills “will always be his home.” Lowe added that Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s roots in the borough make the story of Spider-Man even more relatable, pointing to their role as adoptive parents and hard-working residents.
“We couldn’t be more delighted to see that connection made permanent today,” Lowe said. “As a Queens resident myself, I see Aunt Mays and Uncle Ben’s all over the place.”