Formed by the intersection of Broadway,
Seventh Avenue, and 42d Street, this famous square was named for the
building there that formerly belonged to the New York Times. The building,
located in the center of the square, is still famous for its band of
lights that transmits up-to-the-minute news. Times Square and the adjacent
area form one of the most concentrated entertainment districts in the
nation, featuring legitimate theaters, motion picture houses, shops,
newsstands, bars, and restaurants.
When the New York Times erected a
new building on 43rd Street in 1904, the neighborhood took on the name
"Times Square." Just a few short years before, Longacre Square
as it was then known, was considered a dangerous place where only those
of ill repute would venture.
A decade later, theater, vaudeville
and cabaret migrated to the streets nearby, attracting much tourism
by the 1920s. But the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression
led to a sharp decline in theater attendance. Businesses needing something
to draw people into the area, the notorious period of Times Square was
born. It was mainly during the 60's and 70's that live nude shows, erotic
bookstores, and x-rated movies occupied the area. By 1975 Times Square
was being described as a 'sinkhole' by a daily New York newspaper. The
crime rate sky rocketed causing Times Square to be the most dangerous
place in the city, keeping tourists away.
In the early 1980s, the city and
business began to band together to make major efforts to restore the
neighborhood to its former, more wholesome, reputation.
By the late 1990's Times Square was
restored to its intended glory. It is uniquely the only zone in the
New York City where tenants are required to display bright signs. With
27,000 residents and an estimated 26 million annual visitors each year,
Times Square has changed drastically since it's inauguration 100 years
ago.
The first rooftop celebration atop
One Times Square, complete with a fireworks display, took place in 1904.
The New York Times produced this event to inaugurate its new headquarters
in Times Square and celebrate the renaming of Longacre Square to Times
Square.
The first Ball Lowering celebration
atop One Times Square was held on December 31, 1907 and is now a worldwide
symbol of the turn of the New Year, seen via satellite by more than
one billion people each year.
In 1942 and 1943 the Ball Lowering
was suspended due to the wartime dimout. The crowds who still gathered
in Times Square celebrated with a minute of silence followed by chimes
ringing out from an amplifier truck parked at One Times Square.
The original New Year's Eve Ball
weighed 700 pounds and was 5 feet in diameter. It was made of iron and
wood and was decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs.
The New Year's Eve Ball is the property
of the building owners of One Times Square.
For more information on Times Square,
visit the Times Square Alliance.
