How Times Square Became What it is Today

If you ask anyone around the world to name a place in America, one of the first answers will probably be Times Square. This relatively small area in the very large city of New York has become an American icon like no other. Known for big, bright flashing signs, large bustling crowds, Broadway theatres, and of course New Years eve, Times Square has been called the "Crossroads of the World" (Manhattan 162).

Officially, Times Square is the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue. On the other side of the intersection is called Duffy Square, which was named after a military Chaplin and priest who worked in the area. However, most people refer to the entire area between 41st and 47th Street and Seventh and Eighth Ave as Times Square. This area is located in midtown Manhattan, which is one of the five boroughs of New York City.

Up until 1904, the area was called Longacre Square. It was a dusty area filled with carriage houses and horse stables. As the wealthy people continually moved up Manhattan, the Longacre Square started to become the place where the wealthy went for entertainment. According to Peter Slatin in "Once Upon Times Square" (Times Square Times 5), one of the first person to open a theatre in the area was Oscar Hammerstein. In 1895, Hammerstein opened the Olympia. It occupied the entire block of 42nd Street. The Olympia was very popular and was just a start of what Hammerstein envisioned as a entertainment complex. Within two years after the Olympia opened, Hammerstein opened two other theatres. They were all joined by a glass enclosed garden that was called the Paradise Roof Garden. This was a very exotic garden that included swans and monkeys.

In 1904, the New York Times newspaper moved into its new headquarters. It was at this time the area was renamed to Times Square (New York 145). The building that the paper took as it's headquarters was named 1 Times Square. In celebration of the new move, the paper threw a big party on New Years Eve. They celebrated with fireworks while the crowds watched from the streets. The New York Times has since moved to a new location. However the New Years tradition that the paper started still continues to this day. Of course, today the fireworks have been replaced by, the now very famous, dropping ball.

Although other theatres had been in the area, the Olympia was the start of what was considered the high end of theatre. This was the beginning of the Broadway theatre we know today. Broadway became to be known as the Great White Way because of all the bright lights. During World War I, Times Square became the most elite theatre district in the Nation. Many of the United States best actors performed on the stage on Broadway. Actors such as Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, and Lillian Gish headlined there.

As the wealthy people moved up even further into uptown Manhattan. The area started to decline. Buildings were left vacant. Undesired tenants began to move in. Adult theatres started to dominate the area. All of the bad elements associated with that continued to move in. Prostitution, pickpockets, and scam artists made Times Square their home. It became the most notorious red light district of the city. The crime rates continued to go higher and higher. People avoided the area as much as possible. Tourist would not visit. If they did, it was only in the daytime. The 1960's and the 1970's was the worst period for the area.

Things started to turn around in the 1980's. The Times Square Business Improvement District or BID was created to help steer things in the right direction. According to Alan Graison in the article "Raising the BID in Times Square" (Times Square Times 2), by 1994 crime had been reduced by 42.7 percent. Security lighting had been increased. There were unarmed public safety officers that patrolled the area 24 hours a day. 51 sanitation workers were hired to clean the area. They wore red jumpsuits and worked seven days a week cleaning and sweeping the area. They kept the area free of graffiti by continually painting over any that would show up. Cleanliness was up almost 40% according to the Mayor's Sanitation Scorecard.

The BID helped produce a study that, then Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani used to help combat the pornographic shops. New regulations were placed into effect that prohibited certain types of businesses. It created new rules for the ones that were allowed. This drastically reduced the number of adult businesses. In the 1970's, Times Square had 120 adult businesses. By the mid 1990's this was reduced to 47 ("Raising the BID in Times Square" 2). Today, there are just a handful left.

Today, Times Square has one of the lowest crime rates of the city. One of the major tenants of the area is now Walt Disney. This has led to what has been called the 'Disneyfication' of Times Square (http://www.timessquare.com/history/history_101.html 10). Disney has a hotel and theatre, which is playing The Lion King. The world's largest Toy's R Us is right in the middle of Times Square. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum has moved in on 42nd Street. It is now the place where families take their children to experience the magical sights and sounds of the area. One of the major draws is the vast array of lights and big flashy signs. In fact, business's are not only encouraged to have the big flashy signs, they are required to by a city ordinance.

Times Square has gone from the worst area of New York City to one of the safest area of the city. Just like the country that it represents, it has grown up and continues to mature. It has represented the best and the worst that we can be. It continues to thrive and develop. Only by being there yourself, can one truly understand how magical Times Square really is.

Works Cited

Revill, Gil, and Zimmerman, Jean. Manhattan. Compass American Guides, 1745

Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Copyright 2003

Berman, Eleanor. New York. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc, 95 Madison Avenue,

New York, NY 10016. Copyright 1993

Slatin, Peter. "Once Upon Times Square", Times Square Times. 1995 :5

Graison, Alan. "Raising the BID in Times Square", Times Square Times. 1995 :2

Times Square: Part of New York History, Macbeth, VR 2003

http://www.timessquare.com/history/history_101.html