After months of debate the Kansas City Council voted to rename The Paseo.
The landmark thoroughfare will become Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. The vote was 8 to 4.
The Paseo was not the first choice in honoring the slain civil rights leader. The new terminal at KCI Airport and 63rd Street were also considered.
Council member Quinton Lucas believed he and his colleagues made the right decision.
"I think it's important that it actually does run largely through a predominantly African-American community," Lucas said. "It is valuable for us to say we are going to recognize a leader, who while important for everyone, was very important for recognizing the rights and the equality of African-Americans."
The City Council chambers were packed for the debate. Many members of the local clergy were on hand as well.
It could be up to six months before all the new street signs are all installed. The city must work with the United State Postal Service for all of the new addresses, plus advise residents and businesses about the change.
The Paseo was laid out in the early 1900s at the prompting of the city's first president of the parks board, August R. Meyer. The boulevard's design was based upon and named for the scenic Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.