By the end of the nineteenth century, New York City had expanded up to 42nd street and the area was becoming the center of the city’s social scene. In 1904, the New York Times built the Times Tower on 43rd street just off Broadway to replace its downtown premises. The square in front of the building was called Longacre square, but was soon renamed Times Square. The name is now used for the area between 40th and 53rd street and 6th and 9th avenue.
Today Times Square is a constantly buzzing tourist magnet; the square is even one of the most visited places in the world. For most of its existence Times Square wasn’t much more than a large traffic intersection, but it is now being redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly square with large car-free plazas replacing much of the asphalt. The redevelopment project – dubbed Times Square Transformation – started in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2016.
New York, NY Tour 