108-519: Verdi Square is a 0.1-acre (400 m) park on a trapezoidal traffic island on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City . Named for Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi , the park is bounded by 72nd Street on the south, 73rd Street on the north, Broadway on the west, and Amsterdam Avenue on the east. Verdi Square's irregular shape arises from Broadway's diagonal path relative to
216-540: A head house , built on Broadway's former northbound lanes. The head house is one of two entrances for the 72nd Street station; the other, built within Sherman Square on the south side of 72nd Street in 1904, is one of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line 's three remaining original head houses. Verdi Square's head house was designed by Richard Dattner & Partners and Gruzen Samton. Its overall design
324-524: A Le Pain Quotidien bakery opened in the park's concession stand in 2016. Local resident Aleya Lehmann founded an organization, Friends of Verdi Square, in 2018 to clean up the park. The next year, Friends of Verdi Square installed seating areas around the monument and cleaned up the park with guidance from NYC Parks officials. Verdi Square became an official partner of NYC Parks in September 2019. With this cleanup,
432-622: A Verdi concert in Central Park, and the publicist of screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola to donate money, but he was unsuccessful. Ultimately, Italian brand Bertolli funded the monument's restoration, which was completed in June 1996. Bertolli also donated $ 50,000 to a maintenance fund for the monument. The same decade, parks commissioner Henry J. Stern also installed a flagpole in Verdi Square, one of 750 he installed without receiving prior approval from
540-454: A citywide "beautification" initiative announced in 1967, the city government would have planted trees and flowers in the park. The nickname "Needle Park" came to be applied to Verdi Square after the release of the 1971 film The Panic in Needle Park , although the "Needle Park" in the film might have been Sherman Square. In 1972, local teenagers repainted the benches and planted 300 begonias in
648-441: A contract with Disney, officials from the city and state evicted the pornographic theaters and contracted with Madame Tussauds and AMC Theatres to move onto 42nd Street. This spurred the construction of new office towers, hotels, and tourist attractions in the area. Prudential and Klein dissolved their partnership for the four office-building sites at Times Square's southern end in 1996. The same year, Douglas Durst acquired
756-582: A corner with potentially dangerous results, or to prevent some movements totally, for traffic safety or traffic calming reasons. In certain areas of the United Kingdom , particularly in The Midlands , the term island is often used as a synonym for roundabout . [REDACTED] Media related to Traffic islands at Wikimedia Commons This road-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Times Square Times Square
864-473: A cultural hub full of theatres, music halls , and upscale hotels. Times Square quickly became New York's agora , a place to gather to await great tidings and to celebrate them, whether a World Series or a presidential election. Advertising also grew significantly in the 1920s, growing from $ 25 million to $ 85 million over the decade. For example, the Wrigley Spearmint Gum sign, possibly
972-445: A cylinder, and measures 15 feet (4.6 m) tall. Statues of four characters from Verdi's operas are on the pedestal: Aida , Otello , Leonora of La forza del destino , and Falstaff . These statues respectively face north, east, south, and west. The character statues are made of white Carrara marble, with large marble lyres placed between them. The western side of the pedestal contains an etching with Civiletti's name. A time capsule
1080-665: A fence depicting parading elephants, a reference to Verdi's Aida, but the Art Commission disapproved because it would "detract from the monument". NYC Parks also hung a fake owl in a tree near the Verdi Monument to deter roosting pigeons, and the Odalisca sculpture was installed in Verdi Square in 2010. After the park's renovation was completed, local resident Lauri Grossman contacted several friends to organize an opera festival there, having been inspired by street musicians she saw during
1188-509: A low entertainment district. The first theater on the square, the Olympia , was built by cigar manufacturer and impresario Oscar Hammerstein I . According to Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 , "By the early 1890s this once sparsely settled stretch of Broadway was ablaze with electric light and thronged by crowds of middle- and upper-class theatre, restaurant and cafe patrons." In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs moved
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#17328588531061296-447: A mass yoga event involving up to 15,000 people. Tim Tompkins, a co-founder of the event, said part of its appeal was "finding stillness and calm amid the city rush on the longest day of the year". Architect Mark Foster Gage proposed and designed the original Times Square Valentine's Day heart in 2009. Since then, designing the heart has become an annual competition. In February 2011, Times Square became smoke-free as New York extended
1404-507: A massive crowd celebrated Victory in Europe Day in Times Square; and on August 15, 1945, the largest crowd in the history of Times Square gathered to celebrate Victory over Japan Day , reaching an estimated two million. The victory itself was announced by a headline on the "zipper" news ticker at One Times Square , which read "OFFICIAL ***TRUMAN ANNOUNCES JAPANESE SURRENDER ***". From
1512-639: A million visitors to Times Square every year, in addition to a worldwide audience of one billion or more on various digital media platforms. Times Square, specifically the intersection of Broadway and 42nd Street, is the eastern terminus of the Lincoln Highway , the first road across the United States for motorized vehicles. Times Square is sometimes referred to as "the Crossroads of the World" and "the heart of
1620-495: A minimum limit for lighting instead of the standard maximum limit. The density of illuminated signs in Times Square rivals that in Las Vegas . Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called " jumbotrons ". This signage ordinance was implemented in accordance with guidelines set in a revitalization program that New York Governor Mario Cuomo implemented in 1993. Notable signage includes
1728-419: A pole atop the building, marking the start of the new year. It replaced a lavish fireworks display from the top of the building that was held from 1904 to 1906 but stopped by city officials because of the danger of fire. Beginning in 1908, and for more than eighty years thereafter, Times Square sign maker Artkraft Strauss was responsible for the ball-lowering. During World War II, a minute of silence, followed by
1836-539: A recording of church bells pealing, replaced the ball drop because of wartime blackout restrictions. Today, Countdown Entertainment and One Times Square handle the New Year's Eve event in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance. A new energy-efficient LED ball debuted for the arrival of 2008, which was the centennial of the Times Square ball drop. The 2008–09 ball is larger and has become a permanent installation as
1944-458: A reputation as a dangerous and seedy neighborhood in the following decades. Nevertheless, Times Square continued to be the site of the annual ball drop on New Year's Eve . The ball drop was placed on hiatus for New Year's Eve in 1942 and 1943 due to lighting restrictions during World War II , replaced by a moment of silence that was observed at midnight in Times Square, accompanied by the sound of chimes played from sound trucks. On May 8, 1945,
2052-450: A source of controversy in the summer of 2015 because of a large number of complaints about the topless women and panhandling characters. Although neither of these activities are illegal, opponents believed that the panhandlers' presence was detrimental to the quality of life in the area. There were calls from Police Commissioner Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio to remove the plaza, although Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer opposed
2160-587: A tiny hamlet, Great Kill, that became a center for carriage-making, as the upland to the south and east became known as Longacre. Before and after the American Revolution , the area belonged to John Morin Scott , a general of the New York militia , in which he served under George Washington . Scott's manor house was at what is currently 43rd Street, surrounded by countryside used for farming and breeding horses. In
2268-478: A trial until at least the end of the year. The same was done in Herald Square from 33rd to 35th Street. The results were to be closely monitored to determine if the project was successful and should be extended. Bloomberg also stated that he believed the street shutdown would make New York more livable by reducing pollution, cutting down on pedestrian-vehicle accidents, and helping traffic flow more smoothly through
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#17328588531062376-815: A trip to Europe. Many people, including then-parks commissioner Adrian Benepe , supported the proposal. George Litton, father of orchestral conductor Andrew Litton , launched the annual Verdi Square Festival of the Arts in September 2006. The festival's first season contained two concerts performed by the Manhattan School of Music and The New School ; subsequent seasons were expanded to three concerts due to their popularity. The festival consists of three free outdoor Sunday afternoon concerts, presenting young musicians in repertoire ranging from opera to bluegrass . Each concert typically included printed programs for 400 guests. The concerts typically took place during September, but two of
2484-464: A year-round attraction, being used for celebrations on days such as Valentine's Day and Halloween . The New Year's Eve celebrations are usually overseen by thousands of police officers. Aluminum barriers are erected to accommodate spectators; for the 2020 celebration, attended by a million people, barriers were erected from 38th to 59th Street and from Sixth to Eighth Avenue. Typically, the celebrations create large amounts of waste. The waste includes
2592-556: Is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City . It is formed by the junction of Broadway , Seventh Avenue , and 42nd Street . Together with adjacent Duffy Square , Times Square is a bowtie -shaped plaza five blocks long between 42nd and 47th Streets . Times Square is brightly lit by numerous digital billboards and advertisements as well as businesses offering 24/7 service . One of
2700-494: Is bounded by West 42nd Street , West 47th Street , 7th Avenue, and 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. Times Square is the official name of the southern triangle, below 45th Street. The northern triangle is officially known as Duffy Square and
2808-866: Is famed for the Times Square Ball drop on its roof every New Year's Eve. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association , headed by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher , chose the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway (at the southeast corner of Times Square) to be the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway . This was the first road across the United States, which originally ran 3,389 mi (5,454 km) coast to coast through 13 states to its western terminus in Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Times Square grew dramatically after World War I . It became
2916-474: Is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and covers 0.10 acres (400 m). It occupies a trapezoidal site bounded by 72nd Street on the south, 73rd Street on the north, Broadway on the west, and Amsterdam Avenue on the east. Much of the park is built on the former northbound lane of Broadway. One block to the south is Sherman Square . On the north side, the park faces
3024-467: Is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. About one million revelers crowd Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations, more than twice the usual number of visitors the area usually receives daily. However, for the millennium celebration on December 31, 1999, published reports stated approximately two million people overflowed Times Square, flowing from Sixth Avenue to Eighth Avenue and back on Broadway and Seventh Avenue to 59th Street, making it
3132-594: The Apple Bank Building at 2112 Broadway, designed by York and Sawyer . To the northwest is The Ansonia apartment complex, while to the southeast is another apartment building, The Dorilton . Two apartment buildings are on the east side of the square: the Severn and the Van Dyck, designed by Mulliken and Moller. Originally, Verdi Square was a triangle. The park's shape arises from Broadway's diagonal alignment relative to
3240-852: The Disney theme parks worldwide, with 128,794,000 visitors between March 2012 and February 2013, versus 126,479,000 for the Walt Disney World theme parks in Bay Lake, Florida , in 2012. Even excluding residents from the visitor count, Times Square is the world's second most visited tourist attraction, behind the Las Vegas Strip . The high level of pedestrian traffic has resulted in $ 4.8 billion in annual retail, entertainment, and hotel sales, with 22 cents out of every dollar spent by visitors in New York City being spent within Times Square. Times Square
3348-694: The Macklowe Hotel , Marriott Marquis , Crowne Plaza , and DoubleTree Suites. By 1986, New York City Planning Commission (CPC) was considering enacting regulations that would have forced new buildings along Times Square to include bright signage as well as deep setbacks . The CPC adopted a planning regulation in 1987, which required large new developments in Times Square to set aside about 5 percent of their space for "entertainment uses". The regulation also required new buildings on Times Square to include large, bright signs. The buildings at 1540 Broadway, 1585 Broadway, and 750 Seventh Avenue were completed at
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3456-538: The Manhattan street grid . Further south, the angled course of Broadway creates convergences with other avenues at Columbus Circle and at Times , Herald , Madison , and Union Squares. Verdi Square is the northernmost location at which Broadway intersects an avenue diagonally, as Broadway straightens out to the north. The Museum of the City of New York described Verdi Square as one of several bowtie-shaped intersections "where
3564-479: The Manhattan street grid . The western half of the park is built on the former northbound lanes of Broadway, which were closed permanently in 2003 during a renovation of the New York City Subway 's adjacent 72nd Street station. Verdi Square is designated as a New York City scenic landmark and is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation . The eastern half of Verdi Square contains
3672-528: The New York City Art Commission or the LPC. The New York City government opened a seasonal greenmarket at Verdi Square in 1997. The market attracted two dozen farmers and 2,500 to 5,000 visitors each weekend and was shown in the 1998 film You've Got Mail . Dattner Architects and Gruzen Samton had completed a design for the 72nd Street station's renovation in 1996. The architects announced plans for
3780-479: The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cited the stand for unsanitary conditions the next year, the concession remains in operation as of 2022. Near the 72nd Street end of the plaza is a bronze lamppost, one of two that originally flanked the Firemen's Memorial on Riverside Drive . Installed at Verdi Square in 2004, the pole dates to between 1913 and 1935 and was removed from its original location in
3888-515: The State of New York took possession of six of the nine historic theaters on 42nd Street, and the New 42nd Street non-profit organization was appointed to oversee their restoration and maintenance. The theaters underwent renovation for Broadway shows, conversion for commercial purposes, or demolition. Opposition to the towers on Times Square, along with Prudential and Park Tower's inability to secure tenants for
3996-664: The Toshiba billboard directly under the NYE ball drop, the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign at the NASDAQ MarketSite at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street, and the curved Coca-Cola sign located underneath another large LED display owned and operated by Samsung . Both the Coca-Cola sign and Samsung LED displays were built by LED display manufacturer Daktronics . Times Square's first environmentally friendly billboard powered by wind and solar energy
4104-535: The Verdi Monument , sculpted in 1906 by Pasquale Civiletti [ it ] . The monument contains a dark-granite pedestal with four statues of characters from Verdi's operas; a statue of Verdi stands atop the pedestal. Surrounding the monument is the original park, a triangular site with plantings. The western half of the park contains a head house that serves as an entrance to the 72nd Street station. Designed by Richard Dattner & Partners and Gruzen Samton,
4212-659: The Vince Lombardi Trophy . The area was under increased security and witnessed over 400,000 people during the period. In October 2022, casino operator Caesars Entertainment and commercial property developer SL Green submitted a joint proposal to open a casino at 1515 Broadway , along Times Square. The New York state government has yet to act on the proposal. On February 26, 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be de-mapped starting Memorial Day 2009 and transformed into pedestrian plazas as
4320-543: The remodeling claim that the neighborhood is safer and cleaner. Detractors have countered that the changes have homogenized or "Disneyfied" the character of Times Square and have unfairly targeted lower-income New Yorkers from nearby neighborhoods such as Hell's Kitchen . The changes were shaped in large part by the actions of The Walt Disney Company , which bought and restored the New Amsterdam Theatre after several attempts at redevelopment had failed. As part of
4428-646: The 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s. However, it was also during this period that the area began to be besieged by crime and corruption, in the form of gambling and prostitution; one case that garnered huge attention was the arrest and subsequent execution of police officer Charles Becker . The general atmosphere of Times Square changed with the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s. City residents moved uptown to cheaper neighborhoods, and many popular theaters closed, replaced by saloons, brothels, "burlesque halls, vaudeville stages, and dime houses". The area acquired
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4536-518: The 1960s to the early 1990s, the seediness of the area, especially due to its go-go bars , sex shops , peep shows , and adult theaters, became an infamous symbol of the city's decline. As early as 1960, 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues was described by The New York Times as "the 'worst' [block] in town". Later that decade, Times Square was depicted in Midnight Cowboy as gritty, depraved, and desperate. Conditions only worsened in
4644-411: The 1970 film The Panic in Needle Park , referring to the selling and use of heroin in that film (even though the site where that film was set, and much of it was shot, was Sherman Square , a similarly shaped but characterless grassy street divider a few blocks south on Broadway). The Verdi monument was restored in the late 1980s, and the park was significantly expanded in the early 2000s. Verdi Square
4752-675: The 1970s and 1980s, as did the crime in the rest of the city, with a 1981 article in Rolling Stone magazine calling 42nd Street in Times Square the "sleaziest block in America". In the mid-1980s, the area bounded by 40th and 50th Streets and Seventh and Ninth Avenues saw over 15,000 crime complaints per year. The block of 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues had 2,300 crimes per year in 1984, of which 20% were felonies. In this era, formerly elegant movie theaters began to show x-rated films , and peep shows hustlers were common. In 1984,
4860-433: The 1970s, when it was vandalized. The pole contains a bronze coating with cloven hooves at the base and rams' heads at its pinnacle. Verdi Square also contains Odalisca , a sculpture by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés . The sculpture alludes to the artwork of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse . The portion of Broadway around modern-day Verdi Square opened in 1703 as Bloomingdale Road, which extended from Lower Manhattan in
4968-509: The 2001–02 New Year's celebration. Approximately 500,000 revelers attended. Security was high following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, with more than 7,000 New York City police officers on duty in the Square, twice the number for an ordinary year. Times Square started hosting other major annual events in the 2000s. Since 2002, the summer solstice has been marked by "Mind over Madness",
5076-484: The 2009 concerts were moved to May due to holidays in September. Verdi Square gradually fell into disrepair again after its renovation. Though the Times reported in 2014 that Verdi Square "has become as much a place to hang out as pass through", local residents cited an increase in homeless people in the park. The Verdi Monument was restored in mid-2016 as part of NYC Parks' Citywide Monuments Conservation Program. Additionally,
5184-495: The 3,000 pounds of biodegradable confetti dropped at midnight, a tradition of which started in 1992. The New York City Department of Sanitation estimated that by 8 a.m. on New Year's Day 2014, it had cleared over 50 short tons (45 long tons; 45 t) of trash from the New Year's celebration, using 190 workers from their crews and the Times Square Alliance. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City during 2020 reduced
5292-485: The Great White Way ". 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 similarly intersects other north–south avenues at Union Square , Madison Square , Herald Square , and Verdi Square , none of which are squares. The area
5400-542: The Midtown street grid. The pedestrian plaza project was originally opposed by local businesses, who thought that closing the street to cars would hurt business. The original seats put out for pedestrians were inexpensive multicolored plastic lawn chairs, a source of amusement to many New Yorkers; they lasted from the onset of the plaza transformation until August 14, 2009, when they were ceremoniously bundled together in an installation christened Now You See It, Now You Don't by
5508-521: The New York state government, had proposed redeveloping the area around a portion of West 42nd Street in 1981. Four towers designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee were to be built around 42nd Street's intersections with Broadway and Seventh Avenue. These towers would have been redeveloped by George Klein of Park Tower Realty, though the Prudential Insurance Company of America joined
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#17328588531065616-466: The Prospect Park planters. Additionally, the design of the planters was modified to fit Verdi Square's surroundings. There is a concession stand next to the plaza, which was built in 2002 as a newsstand. NYC Parks considered removing the newsstand in 2015, on the grounds that there was also a newsstand in the subway entrance. The concession stand was leased by a Le Pain Quotidien bakery in 2016. Though
5724-559: The UK) ghost island . Traffic islands can be used to reduce the speed of cars driving through, or to provide a central refuge to pedestrians crossing the road. When traffic islands are longer, they are instead called traffic medians , a strip in the middle of a road , serving the divider function over a much longer distance. Some traffic islands may serve as refuge islands for pedestrians. Traffic islands are often used at partially blind intersections on back-streets to prevent cars from cutting
5832-476: The area was so derelict and dilapidated, that the entire Times Square area paid the city only $ 6 million in property taxes (equivalent to $ 17.6 million in 2023). In the 1980s, a commercial building boom began in the western parts of Midtown as part of a long-term development plan developed under mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins . These included office buildings such as 1540 Broadway , 1585 Broadway , and 750 Seventh Avenue , as well as hotels such as
5940-426: The artist Jason Peters, and shortly afterward were replaced by sturdier metal furniture. Although the plaza had mixed results on traffic in the area, injuries to motorists and pedestrians decreased, fewer pedestrians were walking in the road, and the number of pedestrians in Times Square increased. On February 11, 2010, Bloomberg announced that the pedestrian plazas would become permanent. The city started rebuilding
6048-417: The beginning of the early 1990s recession , when 14.5 percent of Manhattan office space was vacant. Furthermore, some 9 × 10 ^ sq ft (840,000 m ) of office space in the western section of Midtown had been developed in the 1980s, of which only half had been leased. Consequently, 1540 Broadway was completely empty, while 1585 Broadway and 750 Seventh Avenue had one tenant each, despite
6156-492: The biggest electric sign "in the world," cost $ 9,000 per month to rent. Some contemporary critics, such as Thorstein Veblen and G. K. Chesterton , disliked the advertising at Times Square. Fritz Lang , after seeing Times Square in 1923, used it as inspiration for his dark industrial film Metropolis . Entertainment icons such as Irving Berlin , Charlie Chaplin , and Fred Astaire were closely associated with Times Square in
6264-429: The buildings having over 2 × 10 ^ sq ft (190,000 m ) of office space between them. Entertainment conglomerate Bertelsmann bought 1540 Broadway in 1992, spurring a revival of Times Square in the early 1990s. This was hastened when financial firm Morgan Stanley bought 1585 Broadway in 1993, followed by 750 Seventh Avenue in 1994. The Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), an agency of
6372-411: The busiest in the New York City Subway system, transporting more than 200,000 passengers daily. 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
6480-480: The bustle of New York is brought out in all of its glory". The eastern section of Verdi Square contains the Giuseppe Verdi Monument , a monument to the opera composer Giuseppe Verdi , erected in 1906 and sculpted by Pasquale Civiletti [ it ] . The monument measures 25.75 feet (7.85 m) tall and up to 18 feet (5.5 m) across. The pedestal is made of dark granite steps, topped by
6588-517: The cost of the monument as $ 20,000 or $ 30,000. At the time of the dedication, Barsotti still owed some money on the monument. As a result, a fundraiser for the monument was hosted during a luncheon in Barsotti's and Civiletti's honor in June 1907. In the decade after the subway's opening, the surrounding area grew rapidly into a residential neighborhood. The northern section of Sherman Square was dedicated as Verdi Square in 1921. Musicians frequently visited
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#17328588531066696-534: The designations that March. Residents of the Ansonia cleaned the monument in mid-1975, and it was cleaned again in 1977. Civic organization Friends of Verdi Square held free concerts at the park in October 1976 to raise money for a planned $ 70,000 renovation. The organization planned to relocate benches, fence off the statue, and add bright lights. In 1983, The New York Times wrote that "a succession" of homeless men slept on
6804-777: The end of 1899. August Belmont Jr. , incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway. Work on the IRT's West Side Line (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) from 60th Street to 82nd Street had begun in August 1900. The tunnel was built directly under Broadway using a cut and cover method of construction, requiring the avenue's pavement to be ripped up. The 72nd Street station opened on October 27, 1904, though its initial entrance
6912-500: The existing buildings. In 1992, the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Square Business Improvement District , or "BID" for short), a coalition of city government and local businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, started operations in the area. In 1998, the alliance opened a tourist information center in the former Embassy Theatre at 1560 Broadway;
7020-483: The first half of the 19th century, it became one of the prized possessions of John Jacob Astor , who made a second fortune selling off lots to hotels and other real estate concerns as the city rapidly spread uptown . By 1872, the area had become the center of New York's horse carriage industry. The locality had not previously been given a name, and city authorities called it Longacre Square after Long Acre in London, where
7128-436: The head house contains artwork that references Verdi's opera Rigoletto . Each September, the park hosts a series of free concerts called Verdi Square Festival of the Arts. The portion of Broadway around modern-day Verdi Square opened in 1703 and was added to the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 , which created Manhattan's street grid, in the late 19th century. The city government acquired the site of Verdi Square in 1887. The site
7236-667: The horse and carriage trade was centered in that city. William Henry Vanderbilt owned and ran the American Horse Exchange there. In 1910, it became the Winter Garden Theatre. As more profitable commerce and industrialization of Lower Manhattan pushed homes, theaters, and prostitution northward from the Tenderloin District , Longacre Square became nicknamed the Thieves Lair for its rollicking reputation as
7344-644: The information center operated until 2014. In the mid-1990s, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led an effort to clean up the area, an effort that is described by Steve Macek in Urban Nightmares: The Media, the Right, and the Moral Panic Over the City : Security was increased, pornographic theatres were closed, and "undesirable" low-rent residents were pressured to relocate, and then more tourist-friendly attractions and upscale establishments were opened. Advocates of
7452-461: The largest gathering in Times Square since August 1945 during celebrations marking the end of World War II . On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square, and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since. On that night, hundreds of thousands of people congregate to watch the Waterford Crystal ball being lowered on
7560-603: The late 1920s, dirt had accumulated on the Verdi statue. The managers of the Hotel Ansonia wrote a letter to the city's parks commissioner in December 1929, offering to clean the statue; the commissioner readily accepted this offer. The next month, the statue was cleaned by several Metropolitan Opera members who lived at the Ansonia. Several dozen pigeons at the park were poisoned in 1937 in the city's first recorded mass poisoning of birds;
7668-436: The monument. A garden known as the Woodland was planted around the Verdi Monument; it contains native species such as Lindera benzoin , Asclepias tuberosa , and Magnolia virginiana . A raised garden called the Meadow faces Broadway. The 72nd Street station , served by the New York City Subway 's 1 , 2 , and 3 trains, lies under the square. The western section of Verdi Square contains
7776-478: The newspaper's operations to a new skyscraper on 42nd Street at Longacre Square, on the site of the former Pabst Hotel , which had existed on the site for less than a decade since it opened in November 1899. Ochs persuaded Mayor George B. McClellan Jr. to construct a subway station there, and the area was renamed "Times Square" on April 8, 1904. Just three weeks later, the first electrified advertisement appeared on
7884-464: The next year, becoming an avenue with landscaped medians. The road was called "Western Boulevard" or "The Boulevard" and measured 150 feet (46 m) wide; it was paved in 1874. Residential developments in the area increased in the late 1870s, and the Harsenville neighborhood was consequently razed by the 1880s. What is now Verdi Square was acquired by the government of New York City in 1887. The site
7992-594: The northern section of Sherman Square. Pasquale Civiletti sculpted the monument in his studio in Italy, and it was shipped to the U.S. at the end of August 1906. The monument's cornerstone was laid on September 20, 1906, and the monument was dedicated on October 12, 1906, coinciding with Columbus Day . Thousands of people were present at the dedication, including representatives of the Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Argentine governments. Contemporary newspapers variously reported
8100-450: The number of people traveling to Times Square. About 108,000 pedestrians visited Times Square each day in late 2020 compared to the 380,000 before the pandemic. From March to October 2020, 26 of the area's 46 hotels closed, as well as 39 of 151 stores and 84 of 162 restaurants. Times Square was closed to the public for New Year's Day 2021 and observers were dispersed into enclosures measuring 8 by 8 ft (2.4 by 2.4 m). Times Square
8208-415: The outdoors smoking ban to the area. The measure imposed a $ 50 fine for any person caught smoking within the area. From January 29 to February 1, 2014, a "Super Bowl Boulevard" was held on Broadway, especially in Times Square, between 34th and 47th Streets, as part of Super Bowl XLVIII . The boulevard contained activities such as autographs, a 60 ft (18 m)-high toboggan run , and photographs with
8316-475: The park during the early 20th century. These included tenor Enrico Caruso and conductor Arturo Toscanini , who lived in the Ansonia, as well as composers George and Ira Gershwin , who lived a few blocks away on Riverside Drive . In addition, the Central Savings Bank Building (later Apple Bank Building) was erected north of Verdi Square from 1926 to 1928, with a narrow facade on the square. By
8424-434: The park's 73rd Street sidewalk because warm air came from the subway ventilation grate there. By the end of that decade, the Times described Verdi Square as having undergone a "noticeable transformation". The park was still used by homeless people at night, even though it served as a busy meeting place for elderly residents during the day. In 1987, NYC Parks announced that the Verdi monument would be restored for $ 300,000. Over
8532-416: The park's rodent population had decreased by 95 percent by March 2020. Traffic island A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic . It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle . If the island uses road markings only, without raised curbs or other physical obstructions, it is called a painted island or (especially in
8640-471: The park. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) proposed designating Verdi Square as a scenic landmark in November 1974. The LPC had gained the authority to designate city parks as scenic landmarks the preceding year. The square was designated as a landmark on January 28, 1975, along with the facade of the adjacent Apple Bank Building; the New York City Board of Estimate ratified
8748-455: The perpetrator was never caught. Through the mid-20th century, Verdi Square existed as a small traffic island between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. Its widest frontage on 73rd Street was only slightly wider than the median of Broadway. An image from 1955 indicated that the Verdi monument was surrounded by fences and benches. In the 1960s and 1970s, Verdi Square and Sherman Square were highly frequented by local drug users and dealers. As part of
8856-491: The plaza in 2010, hiring the design and landscaping firm Snøhetta to permanently replace Broadway's roadway with custom-made granite pavers and benches. By December 2013, the first phase of the Times Square pedestrian plaza had been completed at the southern end of the square in time for the Times Square Ball drop on New Year's Eve. The project was originally intended to be completed by the end of 2015. The entire project
8964-460: The project in 1986. Furthermore, as part of the West Midtown special zoning district created in 1982, the New York City government had allowed new buildings in Times Square to be developed with an increased floor area ratio. To ensure the area would not be darkened at nightfall, the city passed zoning regulations that encouraged developers to add large, bright signs on their buildings. In 1990,
9072-439: The project, which was to cost $ 53 million (equivalent to $ 93.8 million in 2023), commenced in June 2000. When excavations began, contractors discovered that the Verdi monument was infested with rats; residents had known about the infestations for years and had nicknamed the park "Vermin Square". The northbound lanes of Broadway were permanently closed in 2001, and the head house was built in the expanded park. The station's renovation
9180-489: The proposal. In June 2016, work started on "pedestrian flow zones" where no one was allowed to loiter, as well as "activity zones" where costumed characters were allowed to perform. There have been several incidents in Times Square: Times Square is the most visited place globally with 360,000 pedestrian visitors a day, amounting to over 131 million a year. As of 2013 , it had a greater attendance than each of
9288-551: The proposed buildings, led government officials to allow Prudential and Park Tower to postpone the project in 1992. By then, Prudential had spent $ 300 million on condemning the sites through eminent domain . The partners retained the right to develop the sites in the future, and the ESDC's zoning guidelines remained in effect. In exchange for being permitted to delay construction of the sites until 2002, Prudential and Park Tower were compelled to add stores and install large signage on
9396-466: The renovation two years later, which included a new entrance in Verdi Square. The plans included closing the three northbound lanes of Broadway from 72nd to 73rd Street, which were mainly used by buses, and diverting northbound traffic to Amsterdam Avenue. This move, which would more than double Verdi Square's size, would offset the loss of park space caused by the head house's construction. The New York State Legislature had to agree to transfer ownership of
9504-449: The right to acquire the sites at the southwest and southeast corners of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue for $ 330 million. 5 Times Square was completed on the southwest-corner site in 2002, and Times Square Tower opened on the southeast-corner site in 2004. Times Square now boasts attractions such as ABC 's Times Square Studios , where Good Morning America is broadcast live; competing Hershey's and M&M's stores across
9612-402: The roadway to NYC Parks. The new subway entrance would contain elevators directly above the platforms; as a result, Broadway's southbound lanes also had to be shifted to the west. Local residents and business owners expressed concerns that Broadway's western sidewalk would be narrowed by up to 8 feet (2.4 m). The greenmarket was closed in December 1999 to make way for the renovation. Work on
9720-418: The safety of the area. The theatres of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have been one of New York's iconic images as well as a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Since 1987 such signage has been mandated by zoning ordinances that require building owners to display illuminated signs, the only district in New York City with this requirement. The neighborhood has
9828-566: The side of a bank at the corner of 46th Street and Broadway. The north end later became Duffy Square, and the former Horse Exchange became the Winter Garden Theatre , constructed in 1911. The New York Times moved to more spacious offices one block west of the square in 1913 and sold the building in 1961. The old Times Building was later named the Allied Chemical Building in 1963. Now known simply as One Times Square , it
9936-460: The site at the northeast corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, and he developed 4 Times Square there. The northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street was taken by Reuters , which enlisted Rudin Management as its development partner and built 3 Times Square on that corner; that building opened in 2001. In 1998, a joint venture of Klein, The Blackstone Group , and Boston Properties won
10044-453: The south to modern-day Morningside Heights in the north. The road originally only measured 33 feet (10 m) wide. In the 1760s, a neighborhood known as Harsenville was developed around Bloomingdale Road between modern-day 68th and 81st Streets, after farmer Jacob Harsen moved there with his family. The neighborhood contained several countryside villas, which overlooked the Hudson River to
10152-617: The south. Many French people settled in the area in the aftermath of the French Revolution in the 1790s, including Louis Philippe I , who later became the king of France. Bloomingdale Road was initially excluded from the Manhattan street grid, which was laid out as part of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 . Because the Upper West Side was largely undeveloped until the late 19th century, Bloomingdale Road remained in use. Bloomingdale Road
10260-500: The street from each other, and multiple multiplex movie theaters. Additionally, the area contains restaurants such as the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company , a seafood establishment; Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar , a theme restaurant ; and Carmine's, serving Italian cuisine . It has also attracted several large financial, publishing, and media firms to set up headquarters in the area. A larger presence of police has improved
10368-624: 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. The Times Square–42nd Street and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal stations have consistently ranked as
10476-473: The years, the marble had cracked because of repeated freezing and thawing of water during the winter, as the Carrara marble was naturally soft. The entire monument had to be removed for restoration, and NYC Parks planned to clean the monument regularly after it was restored. NYC Parks' antiquities director Jonathan Kuhn sought funding for a further restoration of the monument. Kuhn asked pasta companies, attendees at
10584-410: Was completed on October 29, 2002. The project was closed-out fourteen months late due to a setback in the installation of street lighting, as well as the New York City Department of Transportation 's acceptance of the project. The Firemen's Memorial lamppost was renovated and installed in the park in 2004 upon the request of former parks commissioner Stern. Stern had wanted to surround the monument with
10692-581: Was dedicated in June 1939 to honor World War I chaplain Father Francis P. Duffy of the 69th New York Infantry Regiment . A statue by Charles Keck was dedicated in May 1937 as a memorial to Duffy. There is also a statue of composer and entertainer George M. Cohan , and the TKTS discount ticket booth for same-day Broadway and off-Broadway theaters that has been at the site since June 1973. When Manhattan Island
10800-474: Was embedded in the Verdi monument's base. The main statue of Verdi, placed atop the pedestal, is also made of white Carrara marble. Surrounding the monument is a triangular green space surrounded by shrubs, walkways, and trees. Prior to Verdi Square's expansion, those were the only greenery in the park. In the landscaping devised by Lynden Miller in 2004, flowers around the statue bloom in the spring and summer months. In 2019, chairs and tables were installed around
10908-501: Was finally completed just before New Year's Eve 2016. Some safety bollards were also installed as part of the renovation to prevent vehicular attacks or collisions on the sidewalk. After a 2017 vehicle-ramming attack , there were calls to install more bollards along Times Square. Times Square's pedestrian plaza is frequented by topless women (with painted breasts) called " desnudas ", as well as costumed characters , who typically panhandle for tips. The pedestrian plaza became
11016-533: Was first lit on December 4, 2008. The new 20 Times Square development hosts the largest LED signage in Times Square at 18,000 square feet. The display is 1,000 square feet larger than the Times Square Walgreens display and one of the largest video-capable screens in the world. In 2002, New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani administered the oath of office to the city's next mayor, Michael Bloomberg , at Times Square after midnight on January 1 as part of
11124-508: Was first settled by the Dutch colonists , three small streams united near what is now the intersection of 10th Avenue and 40th Street . These three streams formed the "Great Kill" (Dutch: Grote Kil ). From there the Great Kill wound through the low-lying Reed Valley, known for fish and waterfowl, and emptied into a deep bay in the Hudson River at the present 42nd Street. The name was retained in
11232-737: Was inspired by the Crystal Palace in London . The artwork inside is a mosaic pattern, signifying the notation for an excerpt from Verdi's Rigoletto . Elevators and stairs from the head house lead down to the station's platforms. Next to the entrance is a plaza containing granite urns with raised plantings. The urns are made of cast iron and are near the northern end of the park. The urns were inspired by bronze planters, designed by Stanford White , near one entrance to Prospect Park in Brooklyn . The Verdi Square planters do not have cobra-shaped handles, unlike
11340-402: Was originally the northern part of Sherman Square , under which the subway station was built in 1904. The Verdi Monument was installed in 1906 following a fundraising effort led by newspaper founder Carlo Barsotti , and the site around the monument was named for Verdi in 1921. The park was for several years beginning in the early 1970s (and is still, sometimes) referred to as "Needle Park", after
11448-420: Was south of 72nd Street. Meanwhile, Carlo Barsotti , the founder of Italian-language daily newspaper Il Progresso Italo-Americano , had started raising funds for a monument to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi after the latter died in 1901. Though the monument had received $ 4,000 worth of subscriptions by early 1903, a site had yet to be selected. Ultimately, the Verdi Monument's backers decided to install it in
11556-463: Was then considered part of Sherman Square, which in turn was named after U. S. Army general William Tecumseh Sherman . In 1899, the Boulevard was renamed Broadway. By then, planning for the city's first subway line was underway; the line was planned to run under Broadway on the Upper West Side. A plan was formally adopted in 1897, and all legal conflicts concerning the route alignment were resolved near
11664-456: Was widened to 75 feet (23 m) in 1849 and was renamed Broadway. In 1867, city planner Andrew Haswell Green convinced the state legislature to give his Central Park Commission the power to make changes in the grid north of 59th Street . Green laid out a street through the West Side along the path of Bloomingdale Road. Work began in 1867, and the road between 59th and 155th Streets was widened
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