Times Square Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === 1960s–1990s === ==== Decline ==== {{multiple image | align = right | direction = horizontal | total_width = 350 | image1 = Camel Cigaretts Sign -- Times Square 1965.jpg | caption1 = Camel Cigarettes sign, 1965. Below and near the letters "Cam" is smoke from a disintegrating smoke ring. | image2 = Times Square -- February 1965.jpg | caption2 = Times Square, 1965; the My Fair Lady marquee is at center. | alt1 = }} From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the seediness of the area, especially due to its [[go-go bar]]s, [[sex shop]]s, [[peep show]]s, and adult theaters, became an infamous symbol of the city's decline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/207131/new_york_guide/times_square_new_york_city.html |title=Times Square New York City |publisher=Streetdirectory.com |access-date=April 21, 2010 |archive-date=March 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314035521/http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/207131/new_york_guide/times_square_new_york_city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As early as 1960, 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues was described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as "the 'worst' [block] in town".<ref name="bracker">{{Cite news |last=Bracker |first=Milton |date=March 14, 1960 |title=Life on W. 42d St. A Study in Decay |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/03/14/archives/life-on-w-42d-st-a-study-in-decay-life-on-w-42d-st-a-study-in-decay.html |access-date=April 8, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408003559/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/03/14/archives/life-on-w-42d-st-a-study-in-decay-life-on-w-42d-st-a-study-in-decay.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that decade, Times Square was depicted in ''[[Midnight Cowboy]]'' as gritty, depraved, and desperate.<ref>Bailey, Jason. [https://www.flavorwire.com/607844/10-great-accidental-documentaries-of-new-york-citys-sketchiest-era "10 Great 'Accidental Documentaries' of New York City's Sketchiest Era"], ''[[Flavorwire]]'', July 5, 2017. Accessed January 2, 2024. "''Midnight Cowboy'' – It's become a cliché of New York attitude, but nicely captures the defiance of city-dwellers in this period – and is one of many achingly accurate period touches in Cowboy, one of the first wide releases to capture the rot of the city in general and its once-glam Times Square district in particular."</ref> Conditions only worsened in the 1970s and 1980s, as did the [[Crime in New York City|crime]] in the rest of the city, with a 1981 article in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine calling 42nd Street in Times Square the "sleaziest block in America".<ref>Chakraborty, Deblina. [https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/18/us/80s-times-square-then-and-now/index.html "When Times Square was sleazy"], ''[[CNN]]'', April 18, 2016. Accessed January 2, 2024. "The sex market and drug trade thrived in the area, and homeless encampments dotted its streets. Many local theaters – once legitimate operations showcasing the performances of renowned actors like Lionel Barrymore – had become home to peep shows and porn movies.... In 1981, Rolling Stone magazine called West 42nd Street, located in the heart of Times Square, the 'sleaziest block in America.'"</ref> In the mid-1980s, the area bounded by 40th and 50th Streets and Seventh and Ninth Avenues saw over 15,000 crime complaints per year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 31, 1984 |title=Sex Business in Times Square Said to Decrease |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/31/nyregion/sex-business-in-times-square-said-to-decrease.html |access-date=April 8, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408004601/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/31/nyregion/sex-business-in-times-square-said-to-decrease.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The block of 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues had 2,300 crimes per year in 1984, of which 20% were felonies.<ref name="Farley 2018">{{cite web |last=Farley |first=David |title=The curious history of Times Square – and why you should visit, despite the chaos |website=The Telegraph |date=June 25, 2018 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/new-york/articles/times-square-history/ |access-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408003559/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/new-york/articles/times-square-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Stern 2015">{{cite web |last=Stern |first=William J. |title=The Unexpected Lessons of Times Square's Comeback |website=City Journal |date=December 23, 2015 |url=https://www.city-journal.org/html/unexpected-lessons-times-square%E2%80%99s-comeback-12235.html |access-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630162120/https://www.city-journal.org/html/unexpected-lessons-times-square%E2%80%99s-comeback-12235.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In this era, formerly elegant movie theaters began to show [[X rating|x-rated films]], and [[peep show]]s hustlers were common.<ref>Traub, James. ''The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square'', New York: Random House, 2004. {{ISBN|0375759786}}.</ref> In 1984, the area was so derelict and dilapidated, that the entire Times Square area paid the city only $6 million in property taxes (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|6|1984|fmt=c|r=1}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref>Stern, William J. [https://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/stern-perspective2.pdf ''Perspectives on Eminent Domain Abuse: The Truth About Times Square''], [[Institute for Justice]], April 2009. Accessed January 2, 2024. "In 1984, the entire 13-acre area identified in our eventual redevelopment plan employed only 3,000 people in legal businesses and paid the city only $6 million in property taxes —less than what a medium-size office building in Manhattan typically produced in tax revenue."</ref> ==== 1980s building boom ==== In the 1980s, a commercial building boom began in the western parts of Midtown as part of a long-term [[development plan]] developed under mayors [[Ed Koch]] and [[David Dinkins]]. These included office buildings such as [[1540 Broadway]], [[1585 Broadway]], and [[750 Seventh Avenue]], as well as hotels such as the [[Millennium Times Square New York|Macklowe Hotel]], [[New York Marriott Marquis|Marriott Marquis]], [[Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan|Crowne Plaza]], and DoubleTree Suites.<ref name="nyt-1986-11-01">{{Cite news |last=Gottlieb |first=Martin |date=November 1, 1986 |title=Surge of Times Sq. Projects Raises Questions on Effects |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/01/nyregion/surge-of-times-sq-projects-raises-questions-on-effects.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210171139/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/01/nyregion/surge-of-times-sq-projects-raises-questions-on-effects.html |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1986, [[New York City Planning Commission]] (CPC) was considering enacting regulations that would have forced new buildings along Times Square to include bright signage as well as deep [[Setback (architecture)|setbacks]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |date=December 14, 1986 |title=Perspectives: Great White Way; Planning for a Brighter Times Sq. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/perspectives-great-white-way-planning-for-a-brighter-times-sq.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214185322/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/perspectives-great-white-way-planning-for-a-brighter-times-sq.html |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The CPC adopted a planning regulation in 1987, which required large new developments in Times Square to set aside about 5 percent of their space for "entertainment uses".<ref name="nyt-1987-09-03">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 3, 1987 |title=New Rule for Times Sq. Space |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/03/nyregion/new-rule-for-times-sq-space.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210171136/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/03/nyregion/new-rule-for-times-sq-space.html |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{efn|Any development under {{cvt|60000|ft2}} was exempt from the rule; for larger buildings, the first {{cvt|50,000|ft2}} of a development was exempt from the bonus calculation. For example, in a building with {{cvt|500000|ft2}}, the bonus calculation was derived from 5 percent of {{cvt|450000|ft2}}, so the space to be set aside for entertainment uses was {{cvt|22500|ft2}}.<ref name="nyt-1987-09-03" />}} The regulation also required new buildings on Times Square to include large, bright signs.<ref name="nyt-1987-09-03" /> The buildings at 1540 Broadway, 1585 Broadway, and 750 Seventh Avenue were completed at with the beginning of the [[early 1990s recession]], when 14.5 percent of Manhattan office space was vacant.<ref name="p236695270">{{Cite magazine |last1=Light |first1=Larry |last2=Meehan |first2=John |date=July 2, 1990 |title=Finance: real estate: the walls keep closing in on New York developers |issue=3167 |page=72 |id={{ProQuest|236695270}}|magazine=Bloomberg Businessweek}}</ref> Furthermore, some {{cvt|9|e6ft2|m2}} of office space in the western section of Midtown had been developed in the 1980s, of which only half had been leased.<ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=663}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=March 4, 1990 |title=Battling for Tenants in a Slow Market |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/04/realestate/battling-for-tenants-in-a-slow-market.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211013942/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/04/realestate/battling-for-tenants-in-a-slow-market.html |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Consequently, 1540 Broadway was completely empty, while 1585 Broadway and 750 Seventh Avenue had one tenant each, despite the buildings having over {{cvt|2|e6ft2}} of office space between them.<ref name="p236695270" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=August 26, 1990 |title=Commercial Property: Vacancy Rates; Black Monday's Fallout: An Emptiness Downtown |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/26/realestate/commercial-property-vacancy-rates-black-monday-s-fallout-an-emptiness-downtown.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821004118/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/26/realestate/commercial-property-vacancy-rates-black-monday-s-fallout-an-emptiness-downtown.html |archive-date=August 21, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Entertainment conglomerate [[Bertelsmann]] bought 1540 Broadway in 1992,<ref name="nyt-1992-03-04">{{Cite news |last=Bartlett |first=Sarah |date=March 4, 1992 |title=Media Group Makes a Deal For Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/04/nyregion/media-group-makes-a-deal-for-building.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217211641/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/04/nyregion/media-group-makes-a-deal-for-building.html |archive-date=December 17, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="n94674085">{{Cite news |last=Henry |first=David |date=March 4, 1992 |title=A New Player on Times Square |pages=52, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94674154/ 55] |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94674085/a-new-player-on-times-squaredavid-henry/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210211322/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94674085/a-new-player-on-times-squaredavid-henry/ |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> spurring a revival of Times Square in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gelbtuch |first=Howard |date=February 19, 1996 |title=The ground floor: The times they are a changin' in Times Square and early investors get bargains |volume=76 |issue=8 |page=48.1 |id={{ProQuest|200987811}}|magazine=Barron's}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Grant |first=Peter |date=September 6, 1993 |title=Times Square's time has come |volume=9 |issue=36 |page=11 |id={{ProQuest|219117979}}|magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> This was hastened when financial firm [[Morgan Stanley]] bought 1585 Broadway in 1993,<ref name="nyt-1993-08-12">{{Cite news |last=Pinder |first=Jeanne B. |date=August 12, 1993 |title=Midtown Building Is Sold for Lofty $176 Million |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/12/nyregion/midtown-building-is-sold-for-lofty-176-million.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215061915/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/12/nyregion/midtown-building-is-sold-for-lofty-176-million.html |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> followed by 750 Seventh Avenue in 1994.<ref name="p219127068">{{cite magazine |last=Grant |first=Peter |date=May 9, 1994 |title=IBM gets record price for NY headquarters |volume=10 |issue=19 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|219127068}}|magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> ==== 42nd Street Redevelopment, further revitalization ==== [[File:42nd Street in New York.jpg|thumb|The [[wikt:New York minute|pace]], extensive [[Times Square–42nd Street station|transit connectivity]], and [[42nd Street (musical)|theatrical tradition]] of [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]], between [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh]] and [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]]s, have made this one of the best known streets in the Times Square neighborhood and the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway Theater]] [[Theater District, Manhattan|District]].]] The [[Empire State Development Corporation]] (ESDC), an agency of the New York state government, had proposed redeveloping the area around a portion of West 42nd Street in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=February 14, 1988 |title=The Region: Redevelopment; Times Square Plan Takes A Shaky Step Forward |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/14/weekinreview/the-region-redevelopment-times-square-plan-takes-a-shaky-step-forward.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917225606/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/14/weekinreview/the-region-redevelopment-times-square-plan-takes-a-shaky-step-forward.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Four towers designed by [[Philip Johnson]] and [[John Burgee]] were to be built around 42nd Street's intersections with [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] and Seventh Avenue.<ref name="Stephens p. 92">{{cite magazine |last=Stephens |first=Suzanne |date=Mar 2000 |title=Four Times Square |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-2000-03.pdf |url-status=live |volume=188 |pages=92 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929213251/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-2000-03.pdf |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=October 1, 2021 |journal=Architectural Record}}</ref><ref name="nyt19920803">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=August 3, 1992 |title=Long Delay Likely in Rebuilding Plan for Times Square |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/03/nyregion/long-delay-likely-in-rebuilding-plan-for-times-square.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183927/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/03/nyregion/long-delay-likely-in-rebuilding-plan-for-times-square.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> These towers would have been redeveloped by George Klein of Park Tower Realty, though the [[Prudential Insurance Company of America]] joined the project in 1986.<ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|pp=690–691}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 8, 1986 |title=Metro Datelines; Times Sq. Gets New Partner |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/08/nyregion/metro-datelines-times-sq-gets-new-partner.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917185159/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/08/nyregion/metro-datelines-times-sq-gets-new-partner.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Polsky |first=Carol |date=October 8, 1986 |title=Prudential Company Joins Times Square |pages=20 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85494241/prudential-company-joins-times/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183921/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85494241/prudential-company-joins-times/ |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Furthermore, as part of the West Midtown special zoning district created in 1982, the New York City government had allowed new buildings in Times Square to be developed with an increased floor area ratio. To ensure the area would not be darkened at nightfall, the city passed zoning regulations that encouraged developers to add large, bright signs on their buildings.<ref name="Stephens p. 92" /><ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=645}}</ref> In 1990, the [[New York (state)|State of New York]] took possession of six of the nine historic theaters on 42nd Street, and the [[New 42nd Street]] [[non-profit organization]] was appointed to oversee their restoration and maintenance. The theaters underwent renovation for Broadway shows, conversion for commercial purposes, or demolition.<ref name="nyt20150107" /> Opposition to the towers on Times Square, along with Prudential and Park Tower's inability to secure tenants for the proposed buildings,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=November 9, 1991 |title=Times Square Redevelopers Seek Delay in Project |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/09/nyregion/times-square-redevelopers-seek-delay-in-project.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183929/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/09/nyregion/times-square-redevelopers-seek-delay-in-project.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> led government officials to allow Prudential and Park Tower to postpone the project in 1992.<ref name="nyt19920803" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Henry |first=David |date=August 4, 1992 |title=Remodeling Times Square, Part IV |pages=27 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85494516/remodeling-times-square-part-ivdavid/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183923/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85494516/remodeling-times-square-part-ivdavid/ |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> By then, Prudential had spent $300 million on condemning the sites through [[eminent domain]].<ref name="nyt19951121">{{Cite news |last=Pulley |first=Brett |date=November 21, 1995 |title=Key Developer Seeks a Role In Times Sq. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/21/nyregion/key-developer-seeks-a-role-in-times-sq.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917185157/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/21/nyregion/key-developer-seeks-a-role-in-times-sq.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The partners retained the right to develop the sites in the future,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 16, 1993 |title=Choreographing Times Sq. Into 21st Century |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/nyregion/choreographing-times-sq-into-21st-century.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183925/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/nyregion/choreographing-times-sq-into-21st-century.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the ESDC's zoning guidelines remained in effect.<ref name="Stephens p. 92" /> In exchange for being permitted to delay construction of the sites until 2002, Prudential and Park Tower were compelled to add stores and install large signage on the existing buildings.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Bagli |first1=Charles V. |last2=Kennedy |first2=Randy |date=April 5, 1998 |title=Disney Wished Upon Times Sq. And Rescued a Stalled Dream |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/nyregion/disney-wished-upon-times-sq-and-rescued-a-stalled-dream.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925215237/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/nyregion/disney-wished-upon-times-sq-and-rescued-a-stalled-dream.html |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/info_center.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304132155/http://www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/info_center.html |url-status=dead |title=Times Square Alliance |archive-date=March 4, 2010}}</ref> In 1998, the alliance opened a tourist information center in the former [[Embassy Theatre (New York City)|Embassy Theatre]] at 1560 Broadway;<ref>{{cite web |date=December 30, 1997 |title=Times Square BID Unveils New Visitors Center; Opens to Public Sept. 2 |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/times-square-bid-unveils-new-visitors-center-opens-to-public-sept-2-com-77157 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Playbill |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102220731/https://www.playbill.com/article/times-square-bid-unveils-new-visitors-center-opens-to-public-sept-2-com-77157 |url-status=live }}</ref> the information center operated until 2014.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 26, 1925 |title=Embassy 1 Theatre in New York, NY |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7212 |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=Cinema Treasures |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102220725/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7212 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:0480New York City Madame Tussauds crop.jpg|thumb|left|[[Madame Tussauds New York|Madame Tussauds Wax Museum]] and [[Ripley's Believe It or Not!]] Odditorium are two of the newer attractions on the redeveloped [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]].]] In the mid-1990s, Mayor [[Rudolph Giuliani]] led an effort to clean up the area, an effort that is described by Steve Macek in ''Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right, and the Moral Panic Over the City'': Security was increased, pornographic theatres were closed, and "undesirable" low-rent residents were pressured to relocate, and then more tourist-friendly attractions and upscale establishments were opened. Advocates of the [[remodeling]] claim that the neighborhood is safer and cleaner. Detractors have countered that the changes have homogenized or [[Disneyfication|"Disneyfied"]] the character of Times Square and have unfairly targeted lower-income New Yorkers from nearby neighborhoods such as [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Macek |first=Steve |title=Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right, And the Moral Panic Over the City |location=Minneapolis |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |date=2006 |isbn=9780816643608 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NzfLbx1rkxoC&pg=PA111 |page=111}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Rofes |first=Eric E. |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/glq/summary/v007/7.1rofes.html |title=Imperial New York: Destruction and Disneyfication under Emperor Giuliani. Review of ''Times Square Red, Times Square Blue''. Samuel R. Delany. New York: New York University Press, 1999 |journal=GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies |volume=7 |issue=1 |year=2001 |pages=101–09 |doi=10.1215/10642684-7-1-101 |s2cid=144081737 |access-date=April 30, 2014 |archive-date=February 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204114119/http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/glq/summary/v007/7.1rofes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The changes were shaped in large part by the actions of [[The Walt Disney Company]], which bought and restored the [[New Amsterdam Theatre]] after several attempts at redevelopment had failed. As part of a contract with Disney, officials from the city and state evicted the pornographic theaters and contracted with [[Madame Tussauds]] and [[AMC Theatres]] to move onto 42nd Street. This spurred the construction of new office towers, hotels, and tourist attractions in the area.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/nyregion/disney-wished-upon-times-sq-and-rescued-a-stalled-dream.html |title=Disney Wished Upon Times Sq. and Rescued a Stalled Dream |last1=Bagli |first1=Charles V. |date=April 5, 1998 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 15, 2017 |last2=Kennedy |first2=Randy |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925215237/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/nyregion/disney-wished-upon-times-sq-and-rescued-a-stalled-dream.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Prudential and Klein dissolved their partnership for the four office-building sites at Times Square's southern end in 1996.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 719">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=719}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=March 31, 1998 |title=2 Developers Bid Top Dollar For What's Left in Times Sq. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/31/nyregion/2-developers-bid-top-dollar-for-what-s-left-in-times-sq.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927195035/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/31/nyregion/2-developers-bid-top-dollar-for-what-s-left-in-times-sq.html |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The same year, [[Douglas Durst]] acquired the site at the northeast corner of Broadway and 42nd Street,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=April 12, 1996 |title=Developer Buys the Rights to Build a Times Square Tower |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/12/nyregion/developer-buys-the-rights-to-build-a-times-square-tower.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917183921/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/12/nyregion/developer-buys-the-rights-to-build-a-times-square-tower.html |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and he developed [[4 Times Square]] there.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=May 8, 1996 |title=Conde Nast Is to Move to a New Times Square Tower, Officials Say |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/08/nyregion/conde-nast-is-to-move-to-a-new-times-square-tower-officials-say.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918004524/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/08/nyregion/conde-nast-is-to-move-to-a-new-times-square-tower-officials-say.html |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street was taken by [[Reuters]], which enlisted [[Rudin Management]] as its development partner and built [[3 Times Square]] on that corner;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=September 6, 1997 |title=Reuters to Build 32-Story Headquarters in Times Sq. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/nyregion/reuters-to-build-32-story-headquarters-in-times-sq.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925223209/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/nyregion/reuters-to-build-32-story-headquarters-in-times-sq.html |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Peter |date=September 8, 1997 |title=Reuters' new tower will get Rudin byline |pages=27 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85975925/reuters-new-tower-will-get-rudin/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925223210/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85975925/reuters-new-tower-will-get-rudin/ |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> that building opened in 2001.<ref name="n86065892">{{Cite news |date=June 5, 2001 |title=Reuters Opens New HQ in Heart of City |pages=47 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86065892/reuters-opens-new-hq-in-heart-of-city/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927162939/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86065892/reuters-opens-new-hq-in-heart-of-city/ |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In 1998, a joint venture of Klein, [[The Blackstone Group]], and [[Boston Properties]] won the right to acquire the sites at the southwest and southeast corners of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue for $330 million.<ref name="p398611537">{{cite news |date=April 1, 1998 |title=Blackstone Partnership To Buy Times Square Sites |page=C22 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398611537}}}}</ref><ref name="n86125629">{{Cite news |last=Standora |first=Leo |date=March 31, 1998 |title=Last 2 major Times Sq. sites go in 300M deal |pages=6 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86125629/last-2-major-times-sq-sites-go-in-300m/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928144646/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86125629/last-2-major-times-sq-sites-go-in-300m/ |archive-date=September 28, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> [[5 Times Square]] was completed on the southwest-corner site in 2002,<ref>{{cite magazine |date=Feb 2003 |title=Leasing |volume=58 |page=22 |id={{ProQuest|216569107}}|magazine=Real Estate Forum|number=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Boss |first=Shira J. |date=June 24, 2002 |title=Moving industry packs punch |volume=18 |issue=25 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|219202175}}|magazine=Crain's New York Business}}</ref> and [[Times Square Tower]] opened on the southeast-corner site in 2004.<ref name="nyt20040701">{{Cite news |last=Elliott |first=Stuart |date=July 1, 2004 |title=The Media Business: Advertising; Target is putting its bull's-eyes on Times Square Tower. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/01/business/media-business-advertising-target-putting-its-bull-s-eyes-times-square-tower.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929161750/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/01/business/media-business-advertising-target-putting-its-bull-s-eyes-times-square-tower.html |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{clear left}} ==== Effects ==== Times Square now boasts attractions such as [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[Times Square Studios]], where ''[[Good Morning America]]'' is broadcast live; competing [[The Hershey Company|Hershey's]] and [[M&M's]] stores across the street from each other, and multiple multiplex movie theaters. Additionally, the area contains restaurants such as the [[Bubba Gump Shrimp Company]], a [[seafood]] establishment; [[Planet Hollywood|Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar]], a [[theme restaurant]]; and Carmine's, serving [[Italian cuisine]]. It has also attracted several 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.<ref name="nyt20150107" /> The theatres of Broadway and the huge number of animated [[neon sign|neon]] and [[LED]] signs have been one of New York's iconic images as well as a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Since 1987 such signage has been mandated by [[zoning ordinance]]s that require building owners to display illuminated signs, the only district in New York City with this requirement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-viii/chapter-1/81-732 |title=Zoning Resolution 81–732 |publisher=City of New York |access-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008165616/https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-viii/chapter-1/81-732 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |title=Great White Way; Planning for a Brighter Times Sq. |work=The New York Times |date=December 14, 1986 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/perspectives-great-white-way-planning-for-a-brighter-times-sq.html |access-date=August 22, 2009 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214185322/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/realestate/perspectives-great-white-way-planning-for-a-brighter-times-sq.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The neighborhood has a minimum limit for lighting instead of the standard maximum limit.<ref>[http://www.archdaily.com/241079/architect-robert-a-m-stern-presence-of-the-past/ "Architect Robert A.M. Stern: Presence of the Past" (PBS video)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320233706/http://www.archdaily.com/241079/architect-robert-a-m-stern-presence-of-the-past/ |date=March 20, 2015 }} on the Arch Daily website</ref> The density of illuminated signs in Times Square rivals that in [[Las Vegas]]. Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called "[[jumbotron]]s". This signage ordinance was implemented in accordance with guidelines set in a revitalization program that New York Governor [[Mario Cuomo]] implemented in 1993.<ref name="nyt20150107">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/nyregion/mario-cuomo-42nd-street-times-square.html?_r=0 |title=With a Friendlier 42nd Street, Mario Cuomo Left His Mark on Times Square |work=The New York Times |date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=January 8, 2015 |author=David W. Dunlap |archive-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108194223/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/nyregion/mario-cuomo-42nd-street-times-square.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Naked Cowboy in Times Square.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The "[[Naked Cowboy]]" has been a fixture on Times Square for decades.]] Notable signage includes the [[Toshiba]] billboard directly under the NYE ball drop, 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |title=In Times Square, a Company's Name in (Wind- and Solar-Powered) Lights |work=The New York Times |date=November 14, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/nyregion/15billboard.html |access-date=August 22, 2009 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701103659/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/nyregion/15billboard.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On completion, the [[20 Times Square]] development will host the largest LED signage in Times Square at 18,000 square feet.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://commercialobserver.com/2014/05/ian-schrager-taps-cbre-for-20-times-square-retail/ |title=Ian Schrager Taps CBRE for 20 Times Square Retail |last=Barbarino |first=Al |publisher=Commercial Observer |access-date=June 11, 2014 |archive-date=June 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606205819/http://commercialobserver.com/2014/05/ian-schrager-taps-cbre-for-20-times-square-retail/ |url-status=live }} (May 21, 2014)</ref> The display will be 1,000 square feet larger than the Times Square [[Walgreens]] display and one of the largest [[List of largest video screens|video-capable screens]] in the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/nyregion/24sign.html |title=How to Stand Out in Times Square? Build a Bigger and Brighter Billboard |last=Collins |first=Glenn |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=January 14, 2013 |date=May 24, 2008 |archive-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225104531/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/nyregion/24sign.html?hp&_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page