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! ==== 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'' β It's become a clichΓ© of New York attitude, but nicely captures the defiance of city-dwellers in this period β 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 β once legitimate operations showcasing the performances of renowned actors like Lionel Barrymore β 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 β 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 βless than what a medium-size office building in Manhattan typically produced in tax revenue."</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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