This NYC street is now officially called Tin Pan Alley
It took some time, but now it's official: West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue will forever be known as Tin Pan Alley—and there's a street sign to prove it.
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Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters that made major contributions to the city's cultural life and the nation's popular music.
Although, according to AMNY, the nickname originally was meant derogatorily—in reference to the "racket made by the chorus of pianos playing different tunes, akin to the banging of pans in an alley—"the monicker stuck and New Yorkers now proudly announce that songs like "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" originated in the area.
In 2019, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission actually designated five buildings on the north side of 28th Street as individual landmarks. On April 2, the city took the effort a step forward by officially co-naming the area by 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue Tin Pan Alley.
During the celebration this past weekend, officials unveiled the very first Tin Pan Alley street sign.
"This is the first place where artists could make a living by writing songs, which we take for granted now," said Manhattan borough president Mark Levine during the event.
George Calderaro, director of the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project, echoed Levine's sentiments about the importance of the alley. "The co-naming is a major milestone because now everyone in perpetuity who walks by [...] will see that it's Tin Pan Alley and will know where it is," he said. "Tin Pan Alley is a global phenomenon. Not everyone knows that it was in one specific place."
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