Times Square is a popular landmark in New York City . The square is at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, in the heart of New York’s Theater District, in the borough (district) of Manhattan . The busy area is known for its bright neon advertisements and its famous New Year’s Eve celebrations. In the early 1900’s, the intersection was nicknamed the crossroads of the world.
By the late 1800’s, the section of Broadway north of 42nd Street had become a center of New York City’s horse trade. Businesses producing wagons, carriages, and harnesses set up shop in the area. The area became known as Longacre Square. Longacre was a well-known horse-carriage trading center in London, England. In the early 1900’s, the offices of The New York Times newspaper were built at Broadway and 42nd Street. The area soon became known as Times Square.
On New Year’s Eve, 1904, Times owner Adolph Ochs held a fireworks display to celebrate the newspaper’s new home. The celebration became an annual tradition. Revellers have long flocked to the square to watch the “ball drop”—that is, the descent of a lighted sphere marking the New Year. The Times offices moved from Times Square to 43rd Street in 1913, but the Times Square name remained. Today’s New York Times Building stands on Eighth Avenue, just southeast of the square.
By the 1910’s, theaters, dance halls, and restaurants had replaced the horse trade as the dominant economic activity in Times Square. Manhattan’s Tin Pan Alley, a music publishing center south of the square, contributed thousands of songs to new musicals . Huge advertising billboards covered many buildings in the area.
In the years around World War II (1939-1945), Times Square became a center for adult theaters and prostitution. The area’s reputation improved in the late 1900’s as it emphasized entertainment for families and tourists. In 2009, workers closed part of Broadway to automobile traffic, creating a pedestrian plaza in the square.
