Times Square

For the subway station underneath the square, see Times Square – 42nd Street (New York City Subway).

For other uses, see Times Square (disambiguation).

The Great White Way

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Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. The extended Times Square area, also called the Theatre District, consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of Midtown Manhattan.

Formerly named Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed in April 1904 after the New York Times moved its headquarters to the newly built Times Building, which is now called One Times Square and is the site of the annual ball drop on New Years Eve. Times Square, nicknamed "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way", has achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and is a symbol of New York City and the United States.

History

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Broadway at 42nd St in 1880.

A crowd outside The New York Times to follow the progress of the Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier fight in 1921.

Before and after the American Revolution, the area belonged to John Morin Scott, a general of the New York militia where he served under George Washington. Scott's Manor House was at what is now 43rd Street, surrounded by countryside used for farming and breeding horses. In the first half of the 19th century it became one of the prized possessions of John Jacob Astor, who made a second fortune selling off lots to hotels and other real estate concerns as the city rapidly spread uptown.

In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs moved the newspaper's operations to a new skyscraper on 42nd Street at Longacre Square. Ochs persuaded Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. to construct a subway station there, and the area was renamed "Times Square" on April 8, 1904. Just three weeks later, the first electrified advertisement appeared on the side of a bank at the corner of 46th Street and Broadway.

The New York Times, according to Nolan, moved to more spacious offices across Broadway in 1913. The old Times Building was later named the Allied Chemical Building. Now known simply as One Times Square, it is famed for the Times Square Ball drop on its roof every New Year's Eve.

Also in 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association, headed by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, chose the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway, at the southeast corner of Times Square, to be the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, which originally spanned 3,389 miles (5,454 km) coast-to-coast through 13 states to its Western Terminus in Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California.

As the growth in New York City continued, Times Square quickly became a cultural hub full of theaters, music halls, and upscale hotels.

Times Square quickly became New York's agora, a place to gather to await great tidings and to celebrate them, whether a World Series or a presidential election

— James Traub, The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square

Celebrities such as Irving Berlin, Fred Astaire, and Charlie Chaplin were closely associated with Times Square in the 1910s and 1920s. During this period, the area was nicknamed The Tenderloin because it was supposedly the most desirable location in Manhattan. However, it was during this period that the area was besieged by crime and corruption, in the form of gambling and prostitution; one case that garnered huge attention was the arrest and subsequent execution of police officer Charles Becker.

The Hotel Astor c.1900–1910

The general atmosphere changed with the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Times Square acquired a reputation as a dangerous neighborhood in the following decades. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the seediness of the area, especially due its go go bars, sex shops, and adult theaters, became an infamous symbol of the city's decline.

In the 1980s, a commercial building boom began in the western parts of the Midtown as part of a long-term development plan developed under Mayor Ed Koch and David Dinkins. In the mid-1990s, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (1994–2002) led an effort to "clean up" the area, increasing security, driving out pornographic theaters, drug dealers and "squeegee men", and opening more tourist-friendly attractions and upscale establishments. Advocates of the remodeling claim that the neighborhood is safer and cleaner. Detractors, on the other hand, argue that the changes have diluted or "Disneyfied" the character of Times Square and have unfairly targeted lower income New Yorkers from nearby neighborhoods such as Hell's Kitchen.

In 1990, the state of New York took possession of six of the nine historic theatres on 42nd Street, and the New 42nd Street nonprofit organization was appointed to oversee their restoration and maintenance. The theatres were renovated for Broadway shows, converted for commercial purposes, or demolished.

Times Square today

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It Or Not Odditorium are two of the newer attractions on the redeveloped 42nd Street.

Lights and advertising at the southern end of Times Square

Times Square pedestrianized

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The "Naked Cowboy" — who is not actually naked — is a fixture in Times Square.

The theaters of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have long made them one of New York's iconic images, and a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Times Square is the only neighborhood with zoning ordinances requiring building owners to display illuminated signs. The density of illuminated signs in Times Square now rivals that of Las Vegas. Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called "jumbotrons."

Notable signage includes the Toshiba billboard directly under the NYE ball drop and the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign at the NASDAQ MarketSite at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street and the curved Coca-Cola sign located underneath another large LED display owned and operated by Samsung. Both the Coca-Cola sign and Samsung LED displays were built by LED display manufacturer Daktronics. Times Square's first environmentally friendly billboard powered by wind and solar energy was first lit on December 4, 2008.

In 1992, the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Square Business Improvement District, or "BID" for short), a coalition of city government and local businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, started operations in the area. Times Square now boasts attractions such as ABC's Times Square Studios, where Good Morning America is broadcast live, an elaborate Toys "Я" Us store, and competing Hershey's and M&M's stores across the street from each other, as well as restaurants such as Ruby Foo's (Chinese food), the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (seafood), Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar (theme restaurant) and Carmine's (Italian) along with a number of multiplex movie theaters. It has also attracted a number of large financial, publishing, and media firms to set up headquarters in the area. A larger presence of police has improved the safety of the area.

In 2002, New York City's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, gave the oath of office to the city's next mayor, Michael Bloomberg, at Times Square after midnight on January 1 as part of the 2001–2002 New Year's celebration. Approximately 500,000 revelers attended. Security was high following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with more than 7,000 New York City police on duty in the Square, twice the number for an ordinary year.

From August 14, 2003 to August 15, 2003, the lights of Times Square went dark as a result of the 2003 Northeast blackout, which paralyzed most of the region and parts of Canada for over 24 hours. Power was finally restored to the area on the evening of Friday, August 15.

On the morning of March 6, 2008 a small bomb caused minor damage but no reported injuries.

On February 26, 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be de-mapped starting Memorial Day 2009 and transformed into pedestrian plazas until at least the end of the year as a trial. The same was done from 33rd to 35th Street. The goal is to ease traffic congestion throughout the Midtown grid. The results will be closely monitored to determine if the project works and should be extended." Bloomberg also stated " he believes the street shutdown will make New York more livable by reducing pollution, cutting down on pedestrian accidents and helping traffic flow more smoothly."

The original seats put out for pedestrians were inexpensive multicolored plastic lawn chairs, a source of amusement to many New Yorkers. They lasted from the onset of the plaza transformation until August 14, 2009, when they were ceremoniously bundled together in an installation christened "Now You See It, Now You Don't" by the artist Jason Peters. They were shortly replaced by sturdier metal furniture, and on February 11, 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the pedestrian plazas would remain permanent.

On May 1, 2010, Times Square was evacuated from 43rd to 46th Street following the discovery of a car bomb. A dark-colored Nissan Pathfinder with smoke coming out from it was parked at 45th and Seventh Avenue. Bomb squads were shown, but Homeland Security did not consider it a terrorist threat. A flash was seen coming from the car, and between 6 and 6:30pm, a small explosion went off. It was found to have explosive materials including three propane tanks, consumer grade fireworks, and containers full of gasoline, burnt wires, two clocks with batteries, and other materials. Bomb squads extinguished a small fire. No one was killed or injured in the incident. It was found to be a failed bombing. Several days later, on May 7, streets in the area were closed briefly while police examined an abandoned cooler found near the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

New Year's Eve

A sea of people await the ball drop in Times Square, New Year's Eve, December 31, 2007.

The Times Square Ball in 2007

Times Square is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square, and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since. On that night, hundreds of thousands of people congregate to watch the Waterford crystal ball being lowered on a pole atop the building (though not to the street, as is a common misconception), marking the new year. It replaced a lavish fireworks display from the top of the building that was held from 1904 to 1906, only to be outlawed by city officials. Beginning in 1908, and for more than eighty years thereafter, Times Square sign maker Artkraft Strauss was responsible for the ball-lowering. During World War II, a minute of silence, followed by a recording of church bells pealing, replaced the ball drop because of wartime blackout restrictions. Today, Countdown Entertainment and One Times Square handle the New Year's Eve event in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance.

A new energy-efficient LED ball, celebrating the centennial of the ball drop, debuted for the arrival of 2008. The 2008/2009-ball, which was dropped on New Year's Eve (Wednesday, December 31, 2008) for the arrival of 2009, is larger and has become a permanent installation as a year-round attraction, being used for celebrations such as Valentine's Day and Halloween. On average, about 1 million revelers crowd Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations. However, for the millennium celebration on December 31, 1999, published reports stated approximately two million people overflowed Times Square, flowing from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue and all the way back on Broadway and Seventh Avenues to 59th Street, making it the largest gathering in Times Square since August 1945 during celebrations marking the end of World War II.

In 1972, Dick Clark began hosting a live half-hour NBC special (two years later, it moved to ABC where it has aired ever since) detailing the event entitled Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, which not only aired the descent of the ball, but also performances from popular bands and commentary from various hosts in other cities, notably Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Orlando. During the millennium celebrations in 1999, Peter Jennings based ABC's operations in Times Square, hosting ABC 2000 Today.

The Paramount Building at 1501 Broadway once housed the Paramount Theatre, where Frank Sinatra had bobby-soxers fainting in the aisles.

1 Astor Plaza, also known as 1515 Broadway, is the headquarters of Viacom.

Notable landmarks

Times Square is a busy intersection of art and commerce, where scores of advertisements – electric, neon and illuminated signs and "zipper" news crawls – vie for viewers' attention. A few famous examples:

• TKTS booth
• Coca-Cola sign
• Budweiser
• Times Square Studios (home of ABC's Good Morning America)
• One Astor Plaza (home of MTV's New York studios)
• Chevrolet clock (an analog clock displayed on a digital screen)
• Virgin Megastores (closed and will be replaced with Forever 21)
• The Hard Rock Cafe New York
• Planet Hollywood

Major buildings on or near Times Square

• One Times Square (home of the famous ball drop every New Year's Eve)      
• Bertelsmann Building
• Brill Building
• Thomson Reuters Building (3 Times Square)
• Times Square Tower
• New York Times Tower
• Bank of America Tower, New York City
• The Orion
• New York Marriott Marquis
• AXA Center
• One Astor Plaza
• 1500 Broadway
• Paramount Theatre
• W Times Square
• Renaissance Hotel New York Times Square (2 Times Square)
• Sheraton New York
• One Worldwide Plaza
• Conde Nast Building (4 Times Square)
• Rockefeller Center
• 1585 Broadway
• 810 7th Avenue
• 5 Times Square
• 11 Times Square (construction)
• The Bowtie Building (1530 Broadway)

Corporate presence

The following companies have corporate presences in the area:

• Bertelsmann
• Six Flags Inc.
• Condé Nast Publications
• Diamond Management & Technology Consultants
• Ernst & Young LLP
• Instinet
• King & Spalding LLP
• Barclays Capital (Formally Lehman Brothers)
• Morgan Stanley
• Bain & Company
• MTV Networks
• The New York Times Company
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
• O'Melveny & Myers
• Thomson Reuters
• Viacom

In popular culture

View of the northern part of Times Square, with the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel (Two Times Square) in the center.

The Times Square neighborhood, notably its busiest intersection, has been featured countless times in literature, on television, in films, in music videos and recently in video games. An immediately recognizable setting, Times Square has been frequently attacked and destroyed in a number of movies, including Deep Impact, when a tidal wave destroys Times Square, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, when robots broadcast a message. Films have also employed the opposite tactic, depicting the typically bustling area as eerily still, such as in Vanilla Sky, as well as the post-apocalyptic I Am Legend, in which Will Smith and his dog go hunting for deer in the deserted urban canyon. In the movie Basket Case two brothers separated at young age are known as "The Time Square Freak Twins" since they checked into a Time Square motel.

See also

• Times Square – 42nd Street subway station; serving the 1, ​2, ​3​, 7, <7>​​, N, ​Q, ​R, ​W, and S (42nd Street Shuttle) trains
• Theatre District, New York
• Duffy Square, the northern section of Times Square.
• Midtown Community Court, an innovative court that collaborates with the community to improve the quality of life in and around Times Square
• Naked Cowboy, New York City street performer and prominent fixture of Times Square
• Lincoln Highway, the first road Coast to Coast.
• Playhouse Square, Cleveland, Ohio entertainment district.
• Picadilly Circus, famous road junction and public space of London, England.
• Causeway Bay, a popular shopping and entertainment area in Hong Kong.
• Shibuya, a district of Tokyo that has been described in the New York Times as a 'futuristic Times Square'
• Yonge-Dundas Square, often dubbed as Toronto's Times Square, was inspired by this iconic landmark.

References

Bibliography

• The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square by James Traub (ISBN 0-375-50788-4)

External links

• TheTimesSquare.Com
• Times Square 360 Panorama
• The Times Square Alliance