Times Square

Times Square is formerly known as Long Acre Square, the hub of the theater world.  It is also recognized worldwide for its bright and colorful lights, gigantic flashing billboards, and electronic television screens. Initially, the Times Square area was illuminated with brush arc lamps. In 1903, with the advent of the light bulb, the first electric billboard for the play The Red Mill was illuminated.   The area celebrates entertainment, media advertising, and commerce and is sometimes referred to as the “Cross Roads of the World”, “Center of the Universe”, “Heart of the World”, and the “Great White Way”. 

Subsequently, Robert A.M. Stern, the architect for the new prescriptive zoning changes in the late 1980s, transformed Times Square into the dazzling kaleidoscope of wonderment on display today. 

Moreover, Times Square is a town square where over 500,000 pedestrians walk daily and is part of the central business district of Midtown.  The area is home to the TKTS reduced-price ticket booth managed by the Theater Development Fund, revolving art initiatives, and the Mind Over Madness Summer Solstice yoga event with the aim of “finding stillness and calm amid the city rush on the longest day of the year”.

Without a doubt, Times Square is the heart of the Big Apple and the central gathering spot to bring in each New Year by watching the led illuminated Waterford Crystal Ball descend during the countdown. 

History of the Theater District

Community Theater Guide

New York Theater Guide