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Times Square History continued...
Times Square, which is actually more like two triangles than a square, is located at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Its origin can be traced back to 1811. That's when the New York Commissioner of Streets and Roads laid out the grid for Manhattan above Fourteenth Street. This plan, like many others at the time in the United States, allowed for easy expansion and future growth within the city.
As New York gradually expanded north from 14th Street, the diagonal path of the former Indian trail known as “the Bloomingdale Road” (later called Broadway) was so strong that it ignored the grid-like plan that was laid out for the city in 1811. In fact, the trail cut directly through it. As a result, at every intersection of Broadway with a north-south avenue, a “square” came into existence. Some examples are: Union Square at Fourth (Park) Avenue, Madison Square at Fifth Avenue, Herald Square at Sixth Avenue and Long Acre (Times) Square at Seventh Avenue.
In the 1890's, the area that is now Times Square was known as Long Acre Square. At the time, live-performance theaters (or “legitimate theaters) began to locate themselves in and around Long Acre Square. One of the most famous theaters to move to Long Acre Square at the time was Oscar Hammerstein's 1895 Olympia Theater. Hammerstein had developed a plan for an entire entertainment complex. Occupying an entire block, the Olympia had three theaters and a remarkable roof garden. Within two years, Hammerstein had built two more theaters that were connected by the glass enclosed Paradise Roof Garden, which was an exotic garden populated with swans, monkeys and the tinkling of waterfalls as a backdrop for diners and dancers. The Olympia Theater became very famous and caused other legitimate theaters to follow suit and the area soon became known as the “Theater District.” At the time of its peak in 1925, the Theater District had approximately 80 legitimate theaters within its vicinity.
The area soon became known as the “Great White Way,” so named for its constant beckoning light show. Legitimate theater was not the only entertainment industry to thrive in the Theater District. The vaudeville circuit had also found a home here. Early superstars who performed on stage in Times Square were: Fred and Adele Astaire, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Dorothy and Lillian Gish.
Times Square really got the attention of the nation in 1904. In that year, the New York Times building relocated to the square. The building soon became the cornerstone of the new district. Later on, at the end of the year, the New York Times held a New Year's Eve celebration to celebrate their successful campaign to rename Long Acre Square. Long Acre Square became Times Square, after the newspaper. Although the Times outgrew the building in less than a decade, the building was the second tallest in Manhattan and represented a new era. Every year since then, hundreds of thousands of people gather and wait for hours in the cold of a New York winter for the famous ball drop ceremony. It is estimated that one billion people around the world now watch the celebration on television.
Ironically, Times Square had some of its most flourishing times during some of the nation's hardest. During World War One, Times Square officially exploded into the nation's most premiere theater district. In spite of the fact that the country was at war, 113 productions were staged at 42 theaters during the 1914-1915 season. All the productions took place within the three avenue, 13 block area of Times Square. The year 1915 in Times Square also saw the premiere of D.W. Griffith's “The Birth of a Nation.” The film was once considered a lowly amusement film. Now, with the growth in popularity of film theaters, it was becoming a mainstay of popular culture.
During the beginning of the Great Depression, is seemed that Times Square was immune to the troubles. People were drawn to Times Square's playhouses to escape the problems in their lives. However, as the Depression wore on, many theaters were forced to sell or close their doors. The theaters that did remain open began showing popular and cheap films that were pouring out of Hollywood at the time.
Businesses began looking for something to lure people to Times Square. It was because of this need that the area became a grimy, high-crime area. During the 60's and 70's, live nude shows, erotic bookstores and x-rated movies occupied the area. By 1975, a daily New York newspaper had dubbed Times Square a “sinkhole.” With this new commerce, along came a new crime rate. Times Square quickly became the most dangerous place in New York City and tourists stayed away. Later, in the 1980's, businesses and public officials began to band together to change the reputation of the area. New legislation and the condemnation of certain areas led to a new beginning for Times Square. By 1993, there were 36 adult establishments, down from 140 in the late 1970's.
By the late 1990's, Times Square was once again a symbol of the urban jungle of Manhattan. It is the only zone in the city where tenants are required to display bright signs. One fine example is the NASDAQ sign. It cost $37 million to build and stands over 37 feet tall. The NASDAQ Corporation pays $2million per year to lease the space for the sign. It is the largest LED sign in the world. Times Square has changed a lot in the last few decades. It has a population of 27,000 residents and plays host to 26 million people annually. In 1998, the Times Square BID (Business Improvement District), a coalition of businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, was founded. This began what some call the “Disneyfication” of the area. Nowadays, rather than the sex shops and adult theaters, visitors can spend time in the Disney Store, a Warner Brothers Store, and a major television studio, as well as many fine restaurants and various other attractions.
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