Lew Rudin Way (honorary street sign, with two red apples, on East 52nd Street, 2002)
Lewis “Lew” Rudin (1927-2001) was a New York City real estate investor with the Rudin Management Company. In 1970, he helped found the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), which worked with Charles Gillett of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau on the “Big Apple” campaign to improve New York CIty’s image.
The honorary street sign “Lew Rudin Way,” on East 52nd Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, was dedicated in 2002. Two red apples, representing the “Big Apple” nickname of New York City that he had helped to popularize, are on the sign. A documentary film on Rudin’s life is titled The Lew Rudin Way (2006).
Jack Rudin (1924-2016) was his brother and business partner. The honorary street sign “Jack Rudin Way,” on East 51st Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue, was dedicated in 2018. This sign does not have apples on it.
Wikipedia: Lewis Rudin
Lewis Rudin (April 4, 1927 – September 20, 2001) was an American real estate investor and developer. Along with his older brother Jack Rudin, he presided over Rudin Management, a family empire of 40 buildings valued at $2 billion including more than 3,500 apartments in 22 buildings in New York City.
Rudin was a founding member of The Real Estate Roundtable, and a co-founder of both the National Association on Drug Abuse Problems (NADAP) and the Association for a Better New York (ABNY). Rudin also contributed to efforts to rescue New York City from imminent bankruptcy during the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis.
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In 2001, New York City named a portion of East 52nd Street, Lewis Rudin Way.
Wikipedia: Association for a Better New York
The Association for a Better New York (ABNY) is a real-estate advocacy group in New York City founded in late 1970 by Lewis Rudin, Alton Marshall, and Rexford Thompkins to market New York as business-friendly amid concerns about crime and to lobby for policies friendly to members. It was possibly the first public-private partnership in the United States and hosts notable “power breakfasts” where ABNY members get to speak to prominent figures in business and politics who are paid to give speeches.
During the 1970s, the ABNY helped create the Big Apple and I Love New York campaigns.
IMDb
The Lew Rudin Way
2006 59m
Sidney Poitier narrates the story of Lew Rudin, fondly known as “Mr. New York,” and how one man’s dedication to the city he loved could touch so many New Yorkers…most of whom has never heard of him.
Director David Hoffman
Writer Margery Lipton
Stars Sidney Poitier Rudy Giuliani Bill Clinton
Etsy
The Lew Rudin Way DVD Documentary Narrated by Sidney Portier
In 2002, the intersection of Park Avenue and 52nd Street in New York City became Lew Rudin Way. For those not familiar with Lew’s legacy, filmmaker David Hoffman walks us through the life of a man indelibly tied to the streets, buildings, and thoroughfares of his beloved New York City. Narrated by Sidney Poitier, The Lew Rudin Way is a loving homage to the man known as “Mr. New York” and to the city he called home. Born in 1927, Lew Rudin inherited the stewardship of his family’s burgeoning real estate company Rudin Management. But when the city started to crumble during the economic crisic of the 1970s, Lew decided to combine his real estate acumen and his sense of civic duty to create the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) with his brother Jack. Through ABNY, Lew revitalized a city that was mired in an epidemic of crime, urban flight, and disinvestment. When he wasn’t fighting urban crime or adding to the New York skyline, Lew was working on his infamous golf swing and creating a little tradition known as the New York City Marathon. Hoffman illuminates Lew’s life through archival footage and interviews with Lew’s friends and admirers, among them: Presidents, Senators, New York City Mayors, and Barbara Walters. Senator Clinton, a friend and admirer, said that before there was an actual Lew Rudin Way, there was a “Lew Rudin way of doing things,” which was bringing business, labor, and government leaders together to solve the city’s problems.
RUDIN
In 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially names 52nd Streets and Park Avenue “Lew Rudin Way” as a tribute to Lew’s lifelong dedication to New York City.
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In October 2018, New York City unveils “Jack Rudin Way” on the corner of 51st Street and Park Avenue in honor of Jack. The street corners of either side of the company’s headquarters are now named in recognition of the brothers’ contributions to the City.
NYC Honorary Street Names
Jack Rudin Way (Manhattan)
Present name:East 51st Street
Location:Between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue
Honoree: Jack Rudin (1924-2016) was an owner and developer of New York real estate and one of our city’s most prominent civic and philanthropic leaders . As president and chairman of Rudin Management, he oversaw the design and construction of major office towers such as 345 Park Avenue, 1 Battery Park Plaza, and Three Times Square. During World War II, he served as a Staff Sergeant under General George Patton. He was a member of The Rolling W, 89th Infantry Division, and was among the soldiers who liberated Nazi concentration camps. He later received the Bronze Star for heroic and meritorious service in combat. He, along with his brother, provided the initial sponsorship for the New York Marathon and its trophy is named in memory of their father. He also served on the boards of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, and Congregation Shearith Israel. (Powers)
LL:2018/139
Lewis Rudin Way (Manhattan)
Present name:East 52nd Street
Location:Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue
Honoree: Lewis Rudin (1927-2001) was co-chairman one of the New York’s leading real estate firms and co-founder the Association For A Better New York.
LL:2001/69
Wikimedia
“Lew Rudin Way” sign
Alamy
Lew Rudin Way road sign in Midtown of New York City
Dreamstime
Lew Rudin Way road sign in Midtown of New York City
Instagram
biga614
February 7, 2017
Lew Rudin Way
(The Lew Rudin Way street sign is shown.—ed.)
X/Twitter
GrandCentralBID
@GCPBID
With friends and family of the late Jack Rudin and the staff of Rudin Management Company, we are proud to introduce Jack Rudin Way. Honoring neighborhood legend and founder of Association for a Better New York, Jack Rudin.
Quote
Marc Wurzel
@MarcWurzel
Oct 23, 2018
#JackRudinWay @GCPBID
(The Jack Rudin Way street sign is shown.—ed.)
5:47 PM · Oct 24, 2018
X/Twitter
ABNY
@ABetterNY
Today is the birthday of Lew Rudin, ABNY’s founder & first Chairman. ABNY’s accomplishments over the past 50 years are grounded in the “Lew Rudin way of doing things,” bringing business, labor, & govt leaders together to solve problems.
Learn more here http://bit.ly/ABNY50
(The Lew Rudin Way street sign is shown.—ed.)
2:26 PM · Apr 4, 2022
Linkedin
Bill Montana
Jan 5, 2026
Jack Rudin Way and Lew Rudin Way, also known as East 51st Street and East 52nd Street, at Park Avenue. These two streets were named in honor of two great gentlemen, two great contributors to the City of New York and to the real estate industry. Be like them.
(A video shows both signs.—ed.)
