Building of the Week - 42nd Ed.
- Sara Regnier
- Dec 27, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: May 26
One Times Square
1 Times Sq, New York, NY 10036
Okay guys, I’m currently writing this on my phone while on the plane to California. My family, much like myself, are a bunch of yappers, so finding a proper time to write one of these will be pretty much impossible. I literally can’t even poop in peace. I love them to bits though.
To me, NYE and NYC go together like peanut butter and jelly. Except instead of peanut butter, it’s late-stage capitalism and instead of jelly, it’s also late-stage capitalism. Cynicism aside, there’s no denying Times Square’s cultural impact on New Year’s Eve (at least in America, which is where my frame of reference begins and ends). But what even is Times Square? And why is it so sticky? And why is the head of a bald man coming out of Elmo’s neck? And is this the same intro format as last week?
There are two things I try to avoid most in this world: taxes and Times Square. Both are, unfortunately, New York’s cruel price to pay for living in such a cool city. It’s the place where dreams are made, crushed, and then resold into keychains that never have the correct spelling of your name on them. Right in the heart of this gruesome beast stands One Times Square, the world’s most famous empty building. A metaphor, perhaps, for how soulless capitalism is? Ugh, there goes that cynicism again.
Originally known as the Times Building, One Times Square was built in 1903 for The New York Times. The publisher, Adolph S. Ochs, made a big scene about rebranding Longacre Square to “Times Square” only for NYT to relocate less than 10 years later. Luckily the name stuck but now we know never to trust any guy named Adolph again.
At just 25 stories, it was one of Manhattan’s tallest buildings at the time. Again, this fact is as impressive as the fact that all of us were once the youngest baby alive. We wouldn’t know it now, but the building’s neo-Gothic facade is quite pretty! Do you think she knows she doesn’t have to doll herself up that much for us?
In their 8 year stint at One Times Square, The New York Times started some pretty cool stuff. On New Year's Eve, they threw a big party to welcome the year 1905. Here’s what I think the glasses looked like for that year. We can blame the shitty quality on turbulence.
The event was a hit! More than 200,000 people attended to see the fireworks display that was set off from the top of the building. In 1908, they switched from fireworks to lowering a lit ball down the building's flagpole at midnight. The city had banned fireworks because apparently "raining ash" and “burning flesh” isn’t “a vibe”. That first ball was made of iron, wood, and 100 25-watt bulbs. These days, it’s a 12-foot disco ball covered in 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles, weighing in at nearly six tons. A literal glow up.
Times Square has been the place for displaying news, advertisements, and other silly crap since 1904. It all started when The Times started to use searchlights on the facade to display election results. They would light up one side of the building or the other depending on the winner. The next year the paper started operating a stereopticon machine on the north side of the building, displaying news bulletins. Fast forward to the late 1920s, “the Zipper” was introduced (and I’m not talkin’ about pants, baby). It was a large display of scrolling news headlines that wrapped around the third and fourth floors of One Times Square.
After The New York Times dipped out, the building was occupied by a variety of businesses, a speakeasy, and a shooting range! But nothing seemed to stick. In 1973, a guy named Alex M. Parker took over the lease of the building. He had big dreams of turning the building into “Expo America” but those dreams fell short. Turns out things cost money! He ended up selling the building in 1981. Now we know never to trust any guy named Parker again.
Over the years, more and more billboards were added (kind of like barnacles on a whale). Some even fell onto pedestrians and the oogey boogey Department of Buildings got really upset over it. The DOB even successfully got them all removed at one point but (just like herpes) they came back stronger than ever.
The Times Square we know and avoid today really came into its own in the late 90s. LED screens started to cover every inch of the place, the largest one being the 17,000 square feet! This extra-long billboard contains 12 million LEDs and takes 120 megawatts to light! Wowza!
The building got passed along from one owner to the next - each one with grandiose dreams for the building’s interior. Most wanted to turn the place into some kind of tourist experience or museum, however nothing ever stuck. It still shocks me to think that this building, in the (clogged) heart of NYC, has been empty for nearly 60 years. But why doesn't anyone love her? Is it the lack of windows? Is it the exuberant electricity bill? Did this building accidentally kick a toad one day while wandering the woods only to find out that toad was a powerful witch in disguise and now the only thing that can save it is a true love's kiss? Is the faulty plumbing?
Nowadays, the tenants that occupy Times Square must have a minimum amount of display lighting! When you eat inside a restaurant here, you can’t tell what time of day it is based on the light coming through the windows. Thomas Edison if you could only see us now.
Despite every fiber of my being detesting the mere thought of going to Times Square, this place is kind of cool. I can’t help but hear the chorus of “Empire State of Mind” on repeat when I (power)walk through here. Oh wait, that’s just coming from the army of 360 Camera Booths.
Anyhoo, the plane is finally landing, so I should wrap this up. I am wishing you all the happiest of New Year's! Goodbye 2007, hello 2008!!
Fun Facts
Starting in mid 1905, the ground space was leased to a drug store. All these years later, it’s still one! Walgreens has been holding down since the 90s and established this location as their flagship store in 2008. If there’s one thing New York City has consistently needed, it’s drugs.
The ball drop was directly inspired by a time ball atop the Western Union Telegraph Building in lower Manhattan. The ball would lower throughout the day to indicate the time. There’s also a ball in the sky that serves the same purpose, but the doctors told me to “stop” “staring at it” “all the time”.
You can see Times Square from space! Well, not you specifically, but an astronaut can. I’m not saying you can’t be an astronaut, like follow your dreams for sure! But yeah you can see it from space. Neato!
OFFICIAL REDACTION:
Last week I insulted my mother to the highest degree. I referred to a I-beam as a "metal bar". This is, of course, a massive crime to commit as the daughter of a retired construction engineer. I apologize to those whomst I've offended and I promise to be better in the new year. (Please do not hold me to that.)
It took me up until editing this to realize that it’s the 42nd edition AND Times Square is on 42nd Street. I never miss.
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite buildings here!!! IT'S THE LAST WEEK TO DO SO!!
Next week will an awards ceremony, so get hyped!
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beautiful way to ring in the new year