Times Square

Times Square is a major hub of New York City located in the Midtown Manhattan borough at Broadway and Seventh Avenue, spanning to West 42nd and West 47th Streets. While the area experienced a decline in the early twentieth century that persisted for several decades, Times Square has since been revitalized and redeveloped into one of the busiest and most popular sites in the world. Marked by its theater district, huge illuminated advertisements, New Year's Eve celebration, and other attractions, it is a top tourist destination, drawing millions of visitors each year.

History

In the 1800s, Times Square was originally known as Long Acre Square (also known as Longacre Square). It was named for London's carriage district, and it was the site of William H. Vanderbilt's American Horse Exchange. The area was nothing more than an open space with apartments around it. Many people moved to these apartments, and crime eventually infiltrated the area in the form of petty thieves and prostitutes.

The space began to transform around 1895, when Oscar Hammerstein I built a complex on 42nd Street with three theaters in an attempt to renew interest in opera and music. Many other businesses—such as cafés, restaurants, and additional theaters—followed. At the end of the century, city officials announced construction plans for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a rapid transit, or subway, system. This spurred even more interest in the burgeoning center.

Adolph S. Ochs, owner and publisher of the New York Times, capitalized on the announcement of the subway system and purchased a plot between the Great White Way (which later was renamed Broadway) and Seventh Avenue and 42nd and 43rd Streets to build a skyscraper to house his business. Its main entrance led to the newly constructed subway station.

After its construction, the Times Tower was the second-tallest building in the city at the time. The newspaper then asked the city to change the name of Long Acre Square to Times Square. The area officially became Times Square on April 8, 1904, and later that year it was the site of a New Year's Eve celebration—but without the ball drop. The New York Times officially moved to the Times Tower in 1905.

Soon after, electronic advertisements lined the front of the Times Tower and expanded to other buildings. On December 31, 1907, the New York Times sponsored the first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square that featured a lighted ball dropped from the Times Tower. The celebration became an annual tradition. The New York Times eventually outgrew the space and moved, but the Times Tower, renamed One Times Square, remained as the hub of Times Square.

By the 1910s, many theaters moved to Times Square from other places in the city to form the theater district. High-end restaurants, bars, shops, and hotels followed suit and established themselves close to the theaters. These establishments attracted numerous people to Times Square. By the 1920s, all subways, buses, and elevated lines stopped at West 42nd Street, making Times Square the unofficial hub of New York City.

The Great Depression of the 1930s hurt the growth of Times Square. Many businesses suffered. Theaters that once showed lavish live productions began to show cheaper sexualized films. This brought similar forms of entertainment to the area, such as peep shows, dance halls, arcades, burlesque shows, and inexpensive restaurants. The commercialized sex industry eventually pervaded 42nd Street.

World War II also hampered Times Square as it halted construction and revitalization plans for the area. In an effort to protect pedestrians on Times Square, the mayor called for what became known as a "dimout" during the war. It required all storefronts on Times Square to dim their lights. Streetlights and traffic lights also had to be dimmed, and electric advertisements had to be shut off until after the war. The decline of the area continued in the decades that followed.

While city officials tried to clean up Times Square and rid it of businesses that many people felt were not respectable, the arrival of the 1960s changed some Americans' feelings on what was obscene or offensive. During this time, the city saw a growth in businesses that promoted sex, such as peep shows, adult film shops, and companies that sold sex-related merchandise. These shops soon shared city blocks with more respectable businesses as they learned to coexist. However, into the 1980s, the streets continued to be filled with prostitution and drug activity, easily disguised by the influx of commuters and visitors to the area. As drugs infiltrated the area, crime and homelessness increased.

Topic Today

In the 1980s and 1990s, city officials began another effort to revamp Times Square and improve its reputation. They implemented legislation to revitalize the area and increased security to deter crime and drug activity. This helped to attract new businesses and redevelop the area to make it more family friendly. It also helped to boost the theater district.

Into the twenty-first century, Times Square remained one of the busiest and most visited places in New York City. Each year, the area attracts millions of tourists, who flock to the city to visit theaters, retail shops, corporate headquarters, and restaurants. New York City itself is also the home of many celebrities, whom tourists hope to get a glimpse of while visiting Times Square and its surrounding areas.

Ingrained in popular culture, Times Square has been featured in numerous films, television shows, and video games. The site has also been the subject of literary and art works. A major news hub, Times Square is home to the headquarters of media outlets such as ABC, CBS, and NBC. The iconic electronic advertisements at the center of Times Square feature one of the largest video displays in the world, spanning eight stories high and about a football field wide. Times Square continues to host its New Year's Eve celebration and ball drop each year.

Into the 2010s, the area continued its transition to make it more pedestrian friendly. The redevelopment project rerouted traffic from parts of Times Square to carve out pedestrian plazas. The project has freed up space for visitors to gather, sit, and relax without blocking traffic.

A renovation project to One Times Square began in 2022. The project planned to install a new curtain wall system, add an observation deck, and add digital signage. Vacant interior spaces were to be converted into a museum showcasing the history of Times Square. The renovation was expected to cost about $500 million.

Bibliography

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"History of Times Square." Official Site of Times Square, www.timessquarenyc.org/visitor-tips/history/index.aspx. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Nigro, Carmen. "The Changing Face of Times Square." New York Public Library, 12 Jan. 2015, www.nypl.org/blog/2015/01/12/changing-times-square. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Rhodes, Margaret. "The Brilliant Simplicity of New York's New Times Square." Wired, 19 Apr. 2017, www.wired.com/2017/04/brilliant-simplicity-new-yorks-new-times-square. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Schillaci, Trevor. "A Renovation to One Times Square Will Add New Curtain Wall, Observation Deck, and Immersive Experiences." The Architect's Newspaper, 19 Apr. 2024, www.archpaper.com/2024/04/renovation-one-times-square-curtain-wall-observation-deck-immersive-experiences/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

"10 Facts about Times Square." Telegraph, 14 Apr. 2011, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8451853/10-facts-about-Times-Square.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

"Times Square History." Welcome to Times Square, welcome-to-times-square.com/history-of-times-square/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Wallenfeldt, Jeff. "Times Square." Britannica, 1 Jan. 2025, www.britannica.com/topic/Times-Square. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.