The JCC wants to co-name a street after itself and needs your signature to do so

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan is campaigning to officially co-name West 76th Street “JCC Way,” and it’s asking neighbors to make it happen with an actual signature campaign. For 25 years, the corner of 76th and Amsterdam has hosted nursery school first steps, milestone celebrations and, per the JCC’s own campaign copy, “community when we needed it most.” Now, the institution wants that legacy etched permanently into city geography, one green street sign at a time.

If you live or work within two blocks of 76th and Amsterdam, you’re the target demographic here, and the JCC has helpfully mapped out the exact boundary so nobody can claim ignorance. Team members are stationed around the neighborhood collecting names, because in New York City, even institutional legacy runs through the city’s official co-naming process—which, if you’ve never looked into it, is a genuinely bureaucratic slog involving City Council approval, community board sign-off and enough paperwork to make you appreciate every honorary street sign you’ve ever ignored on your commute.

The JCC announced its intention on Instagram and the comments section naturally has thoughts. One neighbor wants clarity on boundary logistics (does the north side of 78th count? Asking the real questions). Another, in true New York fashion, wants to know how many times they’re legally allowed to sign. We respect the hustle, though we suspect the city has opinions about ballot-stuffing a street-naming petition as well.

What’s actually charming here, once you get past the civic-engagement logistics, is the ask itself. This isn’t a plaque inside a building or a name on a wall. It’s a bid for literal, permanent geography. Twenty-five years of a JCC serving as the connective tissue for a chunk of the Upper West Side, translated into something you’d see on a green sign above the crosswalk, next to the “Upper West Side Historic District” marker that’s presumably been side-eyeing this whole campaign.

Co-naming campaigns are notoriously a numbers game, and the JCC knows it—hence the map, the deadline, the “every name gets us closer” pitch. If you’re in the two-block radius and have any affection for the institution that’s hosted your kid’s first steps or your community’s toughest weeks, this is about as low-lift as advocacy gets. Stop by, sign your name, and maybe start rehearsing how “meet me on JCC Way” sounds in casual conversation. It’s growing on us already.