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Foundation as a Theater District (1904-1920) Up until 1904, Times Square was called Longacre Square. Even before Manhattan had been developed anywhere close to 42nd Street, the main intersection of Times Square, 42nd Street and Broadway, still held significance as it was a major intersection of trade routes. With its new name and new subway station in 1904, Times Square began to develop into an upscale theater district. The slums were pushed up the island, and Times Square was able to see the development of elaborate Broadway theaters. |
Roaring Twenties (1920-1929) While Times Square had already been growing rapidly before the commercial boom of the 1920s, the new influx of money expanded its glamour. By the early 20s, Times Square had become a symbolic cultural center of the city, and was used for such events as celebrating sports championships, presidential elections, and each new year with the ball dropping. Times Square benefited greatly from the migration of many Americans into cities, and just before the stock market crashed had nearly 100 theaters. |
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Depression Through the War (1930-1959) The Great Depression saw a dramatic downfall in every aspect of Times Square. The lights turned off, and theaters began to close. Times Square had been a representation of the excesses of the 1920s, and now had become just as great a representation of the struggle of the 30s. Luxurious theaters were replaced with cheap film theaters, and crime became commonplace in the district. Times Square continued to feel the effects long after the Depression ended, setting in place the ability for it to become what many saw as a haven for immorality in the 1960s. |
"The Free Years" (1960-1980) The 1960s and 70s are thought of as the years of sexual freedom throughout the entire country, but in Times Square this was especially true. Peep shows, pornographic theaters and adult book stores began to appear all throughout the area, both heterosexual and homosexual. The streets were roamed by prostitutes and the homeless. The majority of New Yorkers stayed away from the area, as did tourists. But Times Square visitors saw things differently. They saw Times Square as a place where they could escape the conservative cultural restraints of the suburbs and express themselves openly. |
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The Cleanup (1981-2000)With the introduction of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States, a conservative movement swept across the country. New York City Mayor Ed Koch joined the bandwagon, promising to restored Times Square to its original form before the Depression. Koch gave businesses incentives to relocate to Times Square and reinforced the police in that area. Mayors Dinkins and Guilliani continued the trend, and by the early 1990s Times Square had for the most part rid itself of vice and sexual promiscuity, arguably losing much of its culture along the way. |
The Present and the Future (2001-Present) Since the restoration, the city has attempted to keep Times Square in its new glamorized state. It is now city ordinance that every building have a lighted advertisement. The area is flooded with police, and while some sex shops still remain, for the most part they have left. Restaurant chains have opened in the area and it is now a popular tourist attraction. With its prime location in midtown and the memory of its past still engraved in the minds of politicians, it is likely that Times Square will remain a symbolic and practical center of New York City for generations to come. |
Since its foundation, Times Square has represented the trends of the greater New York City.
In the 1920s, Times Square was at the forefront of wealth and entertainment. The Great Depression affected it as hard as anywhere else. It was hurt more than anywhere else by suburbanization in the sixties, and felt the effects before anywhere else as well. With New York City's rebirth in the last twenty years, the square has also been reborn.
Due to its location and foundation as a theater district, Times Square is at the core of all New York changes. Economics are at the heart of all New York issues, and for Times Square, the central point of the city, to have been founded for aesthetic purposes, gives it the extra element needed to represent the entire city. New York City history is essentially about the struggle between making money and everything else. Time Square represents this history by having the same struggle itself. Through all the triumphs and tragedies, the central theme in the history of Times Square is the struggle between art and money.