Times Square is one of the most famous location in Midtown, Manhattan, if not the entirety of Manhattan. It is located at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It is most well-known for the yearly ball-drop ceremony, wherein a ball is lowered from the top of a building on New Year’s Eve, in order to mark the change of the year.
The name “Times Square” was developed by Albert Ochs in 1904. Ochs, the renowned publisher of The New York Times, elected to move his paper to the then-Long Acre Square. After the move, the square was changed to reflect the new ownership.
Before The New York Times moved, Long Acre Square was merely a set of brownstone buildings, developed by a man who saw potential in the location. New Yorkers raced to the new square, desperate to make a home for themselves in this new place. Before long, a new district began to grow around them. Crime became commonplace, and prostitution and theft began to thrive.
Things began to change in the 1880s. With the spread of electricity, Long Acre Square suddenly seemed much safer for residents. Street lights and advertisements began to dominate the area. In 1895, a new resident, Oscar Hammerstein I, made the decision to create an entertainment industry in the square. He called his new locations Olympia, a structure that featured three theaters. Before long, more theaters began to sprout from seemingly everywhere. By the time The New York Times arrived, the area was an established entertainment haven.
In the same year the New York Times moved to Long Acre’s Square, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company developed the first transit system that would eventually serve as the precursor to the current MTA system. This new railway allowed New Yorkers to travel easily across the city, so that they could reach areas like Long Acre’s Square, without any issue.
The Times held the first Times Square New Years Eve show to celebrate their move. At the time, the New York Times building was one of the largest in Manhattan, and that along drove people to come watch. Though The New York Times eventually outgrew the location and moved, the tradition continued without them, and the square’s new name remained. Ever since, people have come to celebrate the passing of the year in Times Square, and Times Square, itself, has become the most iconic location in New York City.
Bibliography:
“History of Times Square.” Times Square NYC, New York City, 2017, www.timessquarenyc.org/history-of-times-square.
“Times Square History.” New York City, NYC Tourist, www.nyctourist.com/times-square-history.php.
Wallenfeldt, Jeff. “Times Square.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Oct. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Times-Square.
