Spider-Man Way Unveiled in Forest Hills, Queens

The Lowdown

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man now has an actual neighborhood sign. On Oct. 12, New York City unveiled “Spider-Man Way” at the corner of Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens, just steps from 20 Ingram St., the house a 1989 comic named as Peter Parker’s home (QNS; ABC7 New York).

Key Takeaways

The co-naming covers the intersection of Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue. Ingram Street keeps its name (Time Out New York).
Council Member Lynn Schulman introduced the bill after a push from Assemblymember Sam Berger. It was part of a city law enacted July 30 that names 103 streets and public places (QNS; Time Out New York).
Marvel sent Spider-Man comics editor Nick Lowe, and Mark Ditko, nephew of co-creator Steve Ditko, spoke at the ceremony (QNS; ABC7 New York).
Council Speaker Julie Menin, Borough President Donovan Richards, Rep. Grace Meng and Queens DA Melinda Katz were among the officials there (QNS; Queens Daily Eagle).
Dozens of fans came, many of them kids in Spidey suits enjoying a day off school for Columbus Day (QNS).

https://x.com/SpeakerMenin/status/2109995767561654516

What Happened

Peter Parker has been a Forest Hills kid since the early days of the comics, and a 1989 issue pinned his address down to 20 Ingram St. The real two-story house there is owned by Jack Shi, who told ABC7 he welcomes the fans who come by to see it (ABC7 New York). The Queens Daily Eagle reports he often gets fan mail meant for the house’s fictional resident (Queens Daily Eagle).

At the ceremony, Berger made the case that Peter Parker’s ordinariness is the whole point. “Peter Parker isn’t a billionaire living in a tower. He isn’t an alien descending from space. He’s a kid from Queens who has homework, bills to pay, family problems,” he said (QNS). Schulman said Spider-Man is a reminder that “you don’t have to be superhuman to make a difference” (Queens Daily Eagle).

Richards went for the borough-pride line of the day: “Rocky could never lay a glove on Spider-Man” (QNS). Lowe, a Queens resident himself, said Forest Hills “will always be his home” no matter how far into the multiverse the character goes (QNS). Menin tied it to filming, saying characters like this should be “shot right here in New York City” (QNS).

Menin also posted about the unveiling on X ↗, calling Spider-Man “a vessel for the values of bravery and humility” (Patch; Speaker Julie Menin on X).

The Pit Take

In our opinion, this is the most correct thing the City Council has done all year. Tony Stark had a tower; Peter had Aunt May’s house and a subway ride to school, and that’s why he’s lasted. A street sign at Ingram and Ascan is a small honor, but it’s exactly the right size for him. Now the pilgrimage spot has a photo op. Keep up with the web-slinger in our Spider-Man and Marvel coverage, including Brand New Day’s box office run, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, IShowSpeed’s Miles Morales NYC stream, and more in Sci-Fi & Fandom.

The Background

Spider-Man debuted in 1962, and the comics placed Peter Parker in Forest Hills a few issues later (ABC7 New York). In 2023, the real 20 Ingram St. went up for sale for around $2 million (Queens Daily Eagle).

Our image shows homes in Forest Hills Gardens, the Queens neighborhood around Peter Parker’s comic-book address. It is not a photo of the new sign.