Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment center, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Brightly lit by numerous billboards and advertisements, it stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets, and is sometimes referred to as “the Crossroads of the World”, “the Center of the Universe”, “the heart of the Great White Way”, and “the heart of the world”. One of the world’s busiest pedestrian areas, it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District and a major center of the world’s entertainment industry. Times Square is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, while over 460,000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on its busiest days.
Formerly known as Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed in 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the then newly erected Times Building, now One Times Square. It is the site of the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop, which began on December 31, 1907, and continues to attract over a million visitors to Times Square every year.
Times Square functions as a town square, but is not geometrically a square; it is closer in shape to a bowtie, with two triangles emanating roughly north and south from 45th Street, where Seventh Avenue intersects Broadway. Broadway runs diagonally, crossing through the horizontal and vertical street grid of Manhattan laid down by the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, and that intersection creates the “bowtie” shape of Times Square.
The southern triangle of Times Square has no specific name, but the northern triangle is officially Duffy Square. It was dedicated in 1937 to World War I chaplain Father Francis P. Duffy of New York City’s U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment and is the site of a memorial to him. There is also a statue of composer and entertainer George M. Cohan, and the TKTS ticket booth for Broadway theaters. (Wikipedia)
Longacre Square, not long before it became “Times Square.” Circa 1900.Looking northwest down 42nd Street from Broadway, where the iconic One Times Square now stands. 1898.The view from the north in Longacre Square over an excavation for subway construction. The camera is located in what would eventually become the New York Times building. December 4, 1901.The construction of the Times Tower. 1903.Both spectators and cars line up to watch a car race in Times Square. 1908.People hold up papers in Times Square announcing Germany’s surrender in World War I. November 7, 1918.Thousands gather in the streets of Times Square to get results on the World Series from a remote scoreboard. October 1919.A crowd has swelled in Times Square, awaiting the results of a boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier in July 1921.Streetcars, automobiles, and pedestrians all make up the busy traffic of 1920s Times Square. October 15, 1923.A bread line of men stretches through Times Square during the Great Depression. 1932.The still wrapped Father Duffy statue in Times Square. The statue of the soldier, priest, and military chaplain was soon to be dedicated on May 2, 1937.A newspaper man with a stack of papers in is hand stands on the corner of West 42nd Street and Broadway. The paper’s headline reads “War Declared On Germany.” September 3, 1939.People crowd into the streets of Times Square to read a bulletin announcing Italy’s entry into World War II. June 10, 1940.Soliders and sailors sit by Father Duffy’s statue in Times Square as some boys shine their shoes. June 1943.Crowds gather in Times Square awaiting news of the D-Day invasion. June 6, 1944.A woman dressed in only heels and a barrel that reads “I Did My Bit, Did You?” stands in Times Square. The promotion, organized by the United National Clothing Collection was part of drive to collect clothing and bedding for overseas war relief. April 1945.Sailors and soldiers celebrate Japan’s surrender, marking the end of WWII. August 14, 1945.A sailor kisses a nurse in Times Square amid celebrations marking the end of World War II. August 14, 1945.Crowds of people wave in Times Square upon the announcement of Japan’s surrender in 1945.A horse-pulled carriage advertising jazz on the river makes its way through Times Square. July 1947.A large billboard advertising Camel cigarettes. 1948.Crowds pack into Times Square to ring in the new year in 1954.Actress Marilyn Monroe steps out of a limo in Times Square for the premier of her film Some Like It Hot. March 1, 1959.a man walks past a drunkard lying on the sidewalk. February 1, 1954.A young boy shines a man’s shoes as passerby stroll past several Times Square theaters. 1968.Cars and people pass by in Times Square. Circa 1960s.1966 marked a small yet, big change for the area with the introduction of 25 cent peep shows.A group of prostitutes walk by a man in Times Square during the summer of 1971.As the area took on a seedier personality, many of the old businesses fled, with the area’s movie palaces falling into decay. Circa 1970s.
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