Introduction–
Times Square in New York. At the end of the 19th century, New York City had expanded to 42nd street, emerging as the social hub. In 1904, the New York Times constructed the Times Tower on 43rd street near Broadway to replace its downtown location. The square facing the building was called the Longacre square, but was soon renamed Times Square. The name is now used for the area between 40th and 53rd street and 6th and 9th avenue. Times square is best place for vacations with family.
New York Times Headquarters-
The New York Times celebrated their new headquarters at 1 Times Square with fireworks, starting a New Year’s Eve tradition that still goes on today. The first famous ball drop from the rooftop pole at 1 Times Square happened on New Year’s Eve 1907.
Theater District-
At the start of the first World War, Times square was the center of the Theater district and attracted a large number of visitors. This made the square an ideal place for billboards.In 1917, they installed the first big electric display billboard. Eleven years later, they used the first running electric sign to announce Herbert Hoover’s win in the Presidential elections. The billboards are now a big tourist draw in the area, so zoning now demands that buildings have billboards on them!
Decline-
In the thirties, the Great Depression led to a sharp decline in theater attendance. Many businesses shut down, and strip teases and peep shows quickly took their place. The area continued to attract visitors though and after the second World War, the Theater district was booming again. At the end of the sixties, the area started to go downhill and by the mid-seventies, tourists avoided Times square, which had become a seedy, crime-ridden and drug-infested place.
Disneyfication-
In the 1980s, they submitted redevelopment proposals, but they didn’t achieve much. This changed a decade later, when the Walt Disney Company opened a Disney store on Times Square. This attracted more family-friendly businesses to the area, leading to a so-called ‘Disneyfication’. The area is – like most of New York City – a lot safer now than in the early nineties and is once again a magnet for tourists and a center of New York’s social scene.