When one thinks of New York City, the image that pops up in most people’s mind is of a busy Time Square. This image of New York is by no measure uncalled for. According to Forbes, “26 million people visit Times Square each year, which is about 50,0000 people who go through Times Square every day, which consists of 25,0000 employees, residents and of course tourists.”
Time Square is perhaps the world capital of modern art with people running around covered in body paint, amateur artists selling their works, and costumed panhandlers. It is an inspiring piece of New York that is a leaves a positive finger print on American culture and will only grow in importance as time progresses. However, many would disagree with this assessment. Michael Kimmelman in he September 22, 2015 New York Times article, “Making Times Square’s Pedestrian Plazas Work,” reports, “William J. Bratton, the city’s police commissioner, to say he’d like to rip the plazas up. The mayor, Bill de Blasio, didn’t disagree, calling for a task force to study ways to improve the square.”
Luckily, instead of demolishing the plazas, Bratton has assigned a special unit to monitor Times Square. Nevertheless, one must understand that ripping apart Time Square is certainly not off the table. I for one believe that Time Square is a valuable artistic asset of the city.
These plazas were established by the Michael Bloomberg administration in order to improve pedestrian and driver safety while encouraging tourists to appreciate the artistic expressions of New Yorkers.
Moreover, the plaza isn’t only a center for art, but also a piece of architectural art within its own right. NYC Department of Design and Construction calls the plaza, “a back drop for pedestrians in the area.” The validity of this claim is proven when one examines the plaza. For instance, each panel of the concrete pavers has unique design with thousands of stainless-steel pucks implanted within them, which will reflect the lights of Broadway.
However, the story doesn’t end there. Kimmelman clarifies, “Craig Dykers, a founding partner of Snohetta, the firm hired five years ago to design the plazas, showed me plans for improvements yet to come, including widened sidewalks along a repaved Seventh Avenue.”
This means we have yet to see Time Square in its full glory. It could become a place that would encourage even more tourism, which in turn would incite more creative, innovative, and even weird artistic voices to be heard in the plaza.
In the final analysis, it becomes clear that we as New Yorkers must advocate for the preservation and expansion of the Time Square’s Pedestrian Plaza.
I never thought of Times Square as art, but now that you’ve pointed it out, it’s difficult to ignore that fact. The billboards alone make an impression on all the people walking through it daily. Even though I live in the city now, I will always find Times Square awe-inspiring for some reason. The fact that there was art all around me all the time never hit me for a second. I was even walking on the art and I had no idea that there was a purpose behind the metal implanted within the concrete. I truly enjoyed reading your post. Now I just have to go to Times Square and start paying attention to all the art that is displayed there.
This post is quite interesting. I, like Jana, have not thought of time square as art. I would like to see more on how Time Square is seen as art besides “people running around covered in body paint, amateur artists selling their works, and costumed panhandlers.” I don’t completely agree with this statement, however. I agree the people there creates art. I do not think that these people are an accurate representation of art in Time Square.
On the other hand, the architecture in Time Square can surely be seen as art. I especially enjoy the big Toys R Us there. I’m amazed at the design of the building. The way that they have “advertisements” around the building, the way it is structured on the inside with all the candy shops and “small amusement park” machines are really innovative. Few stores have been able to accomplish this.
Times Square is really a fascinating part of history in New York. It has improved so much from the 1900s as it was a place of corruption and it wasn’t a safe place to be in. Now, Times Square is a very popular landmark where thousands of tourists visit every day. However, it also has been a place of controversy because since it’s such a crowded and popular area, bad things can happen. But, I agree with you that we cannot go to extreme measures to tear down Times Square – a huge cultural development for New York. We just need to find certain solutions to polish and refine it to make it safe and enjoyable for New Yorkers and tourists alike.
I have wanted to return to my old hobby of photography even more so ever since I moved into Manhattan, and when I think of Times Square, it is a great background for this form of art. The people, the colors, the figures, the architecture, the lights, the sounds: this area is world renowned for a reason. Just as art is in the eyes of the beholder, Times Square and all of it’s glory provides it’s bystanders with so many different pieces that are capable of being interpreted as art. I would love to capture it’s many aspects in still images, but the moving reality is just as fulfilling of an experience. I hope they do not rip up parts of Times Square away, but it could use some improvement (as many old and busy locations can).
I totally agree that Times Square is a eco-system of various forms of art within its own structure and content. After moving to the city, a good friend and I found ourselves wandering around Times Square at 3 in the morning. There, we discovered a street artist, and were absolutely blown away by his portrayal of the New York skyline and a starry sky. We spent fifteen minutes with a crowd, marveling at his artwork. If Times Square were to not exist, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience such thrilling art. That same night we came across a lovely magician, who managed to make a handkerchief disappear and reappear underneath the sleeve of an audience member. At first I thought that Times Square was a place for tourists, but what’s so beautiful about Times Square is every visit is different, and each experience is distinct. And I don’t believe there are many places in the world that could provide that kind of environment. So I agree that Times Square needs to be preserved, and I’m extremely excited for future modifications that will allow higher pedestrian-accesibility in Times Square.
Time’s Square is a value asset to the identity of NYC. In a sense, I think Time’s Square is the heart of NYC, if New York City were a human being. I agree that Times Square should be expanded and improved over time and not be taken down. Times Square is so crucial to so many artist and people that it would just be ridiculous to want to take Time’s Square down. I also think that there are so many displays of architectural art in Times Square that one can easily miss the artistic value of Time’s Square. There are also so many celebrations that occur in Time’s Square each year that instead of trying to minimize Time’s Square, I think the local government should try to expand and increase patrol there; if safety is what the police department is concerned about.
The debate over what should happen to Times Square has been featured heavily in the news recently. While I can understand why for some socially conservative people, Times Square can represent and display values foreign to them, overall I agree with you in that it is a “valuable artistic asset” to New York city. Many modern countries have districts that challenge societal values and display art freely. What comes to mind specifically is the infamous red light district of Amsterdam. While it indeed promotes prostitution, promiscuity, and drug use, often times it is in this setting that art thrives. We should be grateful that Times Square, while liberal with free body expression, avoids most of these negative traits while providing a safe and nurturing environment for artists to display their works. For the sake of our society and our talent, we as New Yorkers must support the development of Times Square in a time where its existence is threatened.
I cannot agree more with what you are saying regarding the fact that times square has been an artisitic and archiectural assest for New York. I still look up at the big tv screens, I still like finding my favoirte marvel and disney characters, and I enjoy resting at the Times Sqare Steps. However, I feel that the beauty of Times Square is evaportating at the hands- or should I say breasts- of the naked ladies parading their bodies for a quick dollar. During the Summer, my family came from Canada and they had three kids under the age of seven. I brought them to TImes Square for Toys R’ Us and the Super Heros, not knowing of these disgusitng ladies and I was embarassed to have brought them there. I think that there should not be allowed in open public places. What do you guys think?
Indeed, Vincent it was intriguing in how Times Square is a piece of art itself. The bustling lifestyle, and constantly changing surroundings is a truly masterful form of art, the art of life. It’s silly to think that some people want to change what is the partial crux of “American Culture.” Times Square nevertheless represents this great form of our heritage that is forever growing, and preserved for future generations.
Times Square has definitely changed drastically from its red-light district past to this modern art, in the form of a city. The people that are running around naked covered in paint, street performers and the people dressed up in costumes may sometimes be unsettling to be around, but they add to the artistic complexity of Times Square. Times Square wouldn’t be Times Square if it didn’t have all the tourists, from all corners of the world, walking on its famous walkways and pedestrian areas. The pedestrian flow in Times Square must be improved in the future and have a better monitoring system for “performers” on the street because sometimes they are known to be a bit aggressive. If Times Square were to be torn apart, NYC would not have the same identity or culture.
If these plazas get ripped up, I will be forever heartbroken. I’ve been exploring this area since I was a little kid, and have made countless memories with my family and friends. Times Square is absolutely essential to the aesthetic of New York City. It has everything that the city is known for: crowds hustling and bustling, bright lights, great food, great entertainment, great art, and many other assets that you can’t find anywhere else in the state, maybe even the world. I have a strong feeling that many, many New Yorkers agree with this notion.