Press release from Mayor Mike McGinn

Mayor Mike McGinn joined community members and Patches Pals to give the honorary name of “J.P. Patches Place” to North 34th Street between Fremont Avenue North and Troll Avenue North. Members of the public requested the renaming in honor of Chris Wedes, the Seattle actor who played the role of J.P. Patches, the beloved clown and star of the J.P. Patches Show. Wedes died on July 22, 2012 after a long battle with multiple myeloma.

“When Chris Wedes passed away last year, we received letters and e-mails from residents all over the region asking us to rename this street in honor of Seattle’s favorite clown,” said McGinn. “Today I am proud to join our community in giving this honor as a way to thank Wedes for all the joy, friendship, and laughter that he brought us over the years.”

On television from 1958 to 1981, Chris Wedes entertained generations of Seattle-area children and adults with his unrehearsed show, broadcasted live and often twice a day. J.P. Patches delighted audiences with an improvised style and charm that was as unique as it was hilarious, enlisting the help of a vast array of zany characters, most of them played by his friend and co-star Bob Newman.

The honor does not change the legal name of North 34th Street, nor does it change the official addresses on the street. The honorary name change designates “J.P. Patches Place” as the secondary name for North 34th Street between Fremont Avenue North and Troll Avenue North.

This stretch of North 34th Street is the location of the J.P. Patches statue, “Late for the Interurban.” North 34th Street also leads to the North Transfer Station, where Seattle Public Utilities will name a new education center after J.P. Patches, who was the “Mayor of the City Dump.”

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