Marvel co-creator Stan Lee now has a street in the Bronx co-named in his honor. “Stan Lee Way” was officially unveiled yesterday by Councilmember Fernando Cabrera; Marvel fans can find it on University Avenue, between Brandt Place and West 176th st, in The Bronx, NYC. Stan Lee was born in Manhattan, NYC, but his family relocated to 1720 University Avenue in The Bronx when Lee was a teenager. He would also attend DeWitt Clinton High School in that neighborhood, and DeWitt honored that legacy by having its fine arts students attend the unveiling of Stan Lee Way.
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In fact, one of Dewitt’s current students, junior Rafeal Class, spoke to Bronx News 12 about the influence of Stan Lee’s legacy, saying, “When you walk in Clinton, we have the portraits of him…it’s inspiration like you never know what could come out of the Bronx.”
You can watch the full dedication ceremony for “Stan Lee Way” in The Bronx, below:
Stan Lee’s time at DeWitt saw him gravitate toward the passion of creative writing. At age 15 he apparently entered a high school essay competition (the New York Herald Tribune‘s “Biggest News of the Week Contest), and that event allegedly “probably changed my life” according to Lee in the book The Man Behind Marvel. Lee alleges that he won the contest for three weeks straight until the paper pushed him to let someone else win, and suggested that he seek a career in professional writing. Well, Lee took that comment to heart and graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School early (age 16) in order to join the WPA Federal Theatre Project. From there, his storied career in the comics industry truly began.
Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018, just weeks before his 96th birthday. He had suffered several major health ailments leading up to his death, including pneumonia. His official cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest with respiratory failure and congestive heart failure identified as underlying causes. Though his life began in NYC, Lee died in Los Angeles, where he had lived for many years. Having “Stan Lee Way” established in The Bronx is a great way to remind all those legions of Stan Lee fans that the Marvel icon’s story is forever tied to NYC.
You can walk Stan Lee Way (and snap a few pics) on University Avenue, between Brandt Place and West 176th st, in The Bronx, NYC.
