Chicago Honors Legendary Comedy Star With Honorary Street Naming

Lots of cities and towns in Illinois and throughout the country have bestowed honorary street names for famous, heroic, or interesting people, and Chicago is no different.

Well, they might be a little different when you consider the sheer volume of honorary street names in the Windy City. With well over 2,000 honorary street names, Chicago might have more than anywhere else in the United States.

Here are just a few people who've got a street named after them in Chicago:

• Michael Jordan
• Walter Payton
• Ernie Banks
• Mike Ditka
• Sam Cooke
• Muddy Waters
• Frank Sinatra
• BB King
• Curtis Mayfield
• Buddy Guy
• Bernie Mac
• Dick Clark
• Oprah Winfrey
• Roger Ebert
• Studs Terkel
• Barack Obama

Another TV Sitcom And Standup Comedy Legend Will Be Getting The Honorary Street Renaming Treatment Early Next Month

As you may or may not know (depending on your age), the classic sitcom The Bob Newhart Show was set in the city of Chicago and had a Midwestern sensibility about it. Bob Newhart and his TV wife Suzanne Pleshette (Bob and Emily Hartley) lived in the Marina City Towers, and Bob Hartley's office was at 5901 Sheridan Road in Chicago in the Edgewater neighborhood.

At a time when most sitcoms were set in either New York or Los Angeles, The Bob Newhart Show put Chicago on the map when it came to home cities of sitcoms. The Bob Newhart Show's setting paved the way for more Chicago-based sitcoms like:

• Good Times
• Family Matters
• According To Jim
• Perfect Strangers

If a Chicago connection is a prerequisite to having a street named after you, Bob Newhart definitely checks that box.

Bob Newhart Had Plenty Of Chicago Roots Even Before His Sitcom Was Set There

Bob was born and raised in Chicago (born September 5, 1929 in Oak Park), grew up in the Austin neighborhood, and attended St. Catherine of Siena grammar school and St. Ignatius College Prep. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 1952 with a degree in business management.

Before breaking into standup comedy, Bob worked as an accountant and advertising copywriter in Chicago. His telephone-based routines were based on comedy bits he worked on with a co-writer.

And, he kept his Chicago and Midwestern upbringing with him for his entire career. Here's a great quote from Bob Newhart about being funny in Chicago:

When you travel throughout the country and you get to Chicago the people are just nice. They go out of their way for total strangers. And I thought as a comedian, you don't put on airs, ’cause in Chicago they'll see through it. … You’re either funny or you’re not funny. And that's it.

If You're A Fan And Would Like To Show Up For The Honorary Naming Of A Chicago Street For Bob Newhart, Clear Off September 5th On Your Calendar

Earlier this year, the Chicago City Council gave their thumbs-up to the renaming, and it's going to happen on what would have been Bob's 96th birthday (he passed away on July 18th, 2024 at 94), September 5th.

WGNTV:

A national television-comedy legend with ties to the Chicago area will receive a city honor next month on the North Side near a condominium he once called “home.” The designation will take place on North Sheridan Road between Ardmore and Thorndale Avenues. Set for 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 5th.