MIDTOWN — A friend of famed fashion photographer Bill Cunningham has launched a petition to name the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue after the legendary New York Times lensman who died on Saturday.
"He was like the Chrysler building," said longtime friend Nick Nicholson, who launched the petition on Change.org. "Everywhere you looked, there he was. He had a unique eye and saw trends and facets of the city that other people didn't."
For decades, Cunningham could be seen perched on the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue photographing fashionable New Yorkers who caught his eye.
The petition, which was first reported by fashion website Racked, is aiming to get 1,500 signatures — and had more than 1,250 as of Tuesday morning.
It will then be introduced to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Community Board 5 and Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chair of the city’s Landmarks Preservation Committee.
Nicholson, 47, said he befriended Cunningham decades ago at various charity functions and wants the corner to be renamed to thank him for his contributions to New York.
"He was an amazing ambassador for New York and New York style," Nicholson said.
DNAinfo reported Monday that Cunningham, 87, was a regular at Stage Star Deli, on West 55th Street off of Fifth Avenue, where he’d typically start the day with oatmeal, scrambled eggs and coffee.
“He was like a grandpa to us,” cook Alberto Lopez, 39, said.
