Signature Theatre Launches Campaign to Name Part of 42nd Street After Founder Jim Houghton

Signature Theatre has begun a campaign to co-name a portion of 42nd Street "Jim Houghton Way", in honor of the theatre's founder.

The theatre launched a petition to name the block between Dyer and 10th Avenues to commemorate Houghton, who passed in 2016.

To learn more, and to sign the petition, click here.

Read the petition's full description below:

We, the staff, Board, and artists of Signature Theatre, are petitioning the City to co-name the block of 42nd Street between Dyer and 10th Avenues in honor of Signature's transformative Founder and beloved neighborhood figure, James "Jim" Houghton, who tragically passed in 2016 at the age of 57. And we need the help of our neighborhood residents to make it happen!

Jim had two homes: Signature Theatre, which he founded in 1991 and led for 25 years; and Manhattan Plaza, where he and his wife, Joyce O'Connor, lived since 1995 and raised their children, Henry and Lily Houghton. Jim's legacy is Signature's home, the Pershing Square Signature Center-a lauded public and community space at 480 West 42nd Street-and the company's unique mission to be a home for playwrights. He had a profound impact on the American theatre landscape and left quite a mark on NYC as an anchor of the west side's cultural development.

We need to collect as much support from our local community as possible before we present to the Transportation Committee of Community Board 4 at their January meeting. If you live near Signature and would like to join our efforts to co-name the block "Jim Houghton Way," please complete and submit the form below no later than Tuesday, January 11th.

To post a comment, you must register and login.