Times Square rose to prominence as a hub for news and commerce in early 20th century New York CIty, but it became a center of illicit activity for several decades before its revitalization in the 1990s.
Times Square is perhaps the most recognizable place in New York City. Yet, as iconic as the intersection of Broadway, West 42nd Street, and 7th Avenue is today, it had humble beginnings.
In the early 20th century, the area was known as Longacre Square, and it was the center of New York’s horse and carriage trade. Then, in 1904, The New York Times set up its headquarters in the skyscraper that’s known as Times Tower today. The city officially changed the name of the square to mark the occasion…