Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times Ed Koch, seen here riding the train in 1981, loved the subways. But an effort to rename a station for him was dismissed by the M.T.A. “We do not rename stations after people,†a spokesman said.He has a bridge. He has a movie. But it seems that a subway station may be one honor too many for Edward I. Koch.
After receiving news thatRepresentative Carolyn B. Maloney was proposing to rename a subway station at 77th Street and Lexington Avenue for the former mayor, officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority quickly squashed the idea.
“We do not rename stations after people,†Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the authority, said on Monday morning. “The whole premise is that we want to keep stations with street names, in order to avoid confusing straphangers in terms of locations. Throughout the entire system, every station has a street name.â€
Jacob Tugendrajch, a spokesman for Ms. Maloney, said that the proposal “got a little bit ahead of schedule†and that all the details had not been worked out. Placing a plaque at the station in Mr. Koch’s honor has also been discussed.
Ms. Maloney has scheduled a news conference for Monday afternoon outside of the station. Mr. Tugendrajch said the station was Mr. Koch’s “favorite stop,†which he often visited on Election! Days.
In a statement issued after his death last Friday, Ms. Maloney referred to the stop as “his ‘lucky’ East 77th Street subway entrance,†where he often asked his signature question â€" “How’m I doing†â€" as he greeted riders.
Mr. Tugendrajch acknowledged that Ms. Maloney did “not necessarily†have the authority to spur a name change, but said that she “thinks it’s a good idea, and she’s going to try her best to make it happen.â€
In 2011, the City Council voted to affix Mr. Koch’s name to the Queensboro Bridge. Ceremonial renamings are not a hallmark of the subway system, though some stations, like the recently renamed Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center stop, include information that extends beyond grid geography.
