WOODSIDE — Officials are set to rename a street corner next week after the late Walter McCaffrey, a former city councilman who died last year who represented western Queens for more than a decade.
The corner of 61st Street and Woodside Avenue will be called "Walter McCaffrey Place," according to an announcement from Queens Community Board 2 and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.
McCaffrey died in July at age 64, reportedly from health issues complicated by a car accident, the New York Daily News reported at the time. He had served in the City Council from 1985 to 2001, where he represented Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City in the 26th District.
Van Bramer, who now holds the seat in the 26th District, called McCaffrey a "political giant," in a statement last year.
"He was one of the smartest and most clever elected officials in the history of Western Queens," the councilman said at the time of McCaffrey's death. "Walter knew politics and the district better than just about anyone."
A dedication ceremony will be held for the street renaming on Saturday, May 17 at 12 p.m. at the corner of 61st Street and Woodside Avenue.
