His choreography for Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story is among the works for which he is best known; he co-directed the 1961 film version of the musical and won an Academy Award for it.

Robbins died in 1998, in New York.

In last November's City Council proposal to change the street name, Robbins is cited as "one of the first great American-born ballet masters and also a major Broadway and film choreographer." The proposed street was introduced by City Council Member Gale A. Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side and Clinton.

The corner named for Robbins is near the stage door of the New York State Theater, where the New York City Ballet performs. Before Lincoln Center was built, according to the Times, that corner was also a location for the filming of West Side Story.