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Nicolas A. Nowillo Place

Photo courtesy of Leo Sano, 2022.

Nicolas A. Nowillo (?-2008) died trying to protect a neighbor from getting robbed on the street. The youngest of four children, Mr. Nowillo moved to New York City from Riobamba, a city in central Ecuador, his family said. After graduating from George Washington High School in Manhattan, he attended Bible study classes and worked as a jewelry appraiser. He enlisted in the Army in the 1960s, but was never sent to Vietnam, his family said. He volunteered at the East River Development Alliance and helped organize a seminar to teach new immigrants how to start businesses. Nowillo, who lived on Crescent Street for more than 34 years, was known as a neighborhood “good guy”, area residents said. The father of two spent countless hours volunteering at the Evangel Christian Church and School, where he was a member for more than 19 years. The street renaming was spearheaded by Nowillo’s daughter, Doris Nowillo-Suda, and backed by Community Board 1, the Dutch Kills community, the Dutch Kills Civic Association and then City Councilmember Eric Gioia.

Sources:

Liz Goff, "Dutch Kills Street To Be Renamed For Local Hero," Queens Gazette, January 6, 2010, https://www.qgazette.com/articles/dutch-kills-street-to-be-renamed-for-local-hero/ Christine Hauser and Daryl Khan, "Trying to Help Neighbor, Queens Man Meets His Death, The New York Times, September 4, 2008, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/nyregion/05dead.html Jeremy Walsh, "City renames street after slain LIC hero," QNS, January 6, 2010, https://qns.com/2010/01/city-renames-street-after-slain-lic-hero/

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