A question about Times Square's history — Page 2

Yes, I'm referring to both the Marriott theatre and the hotel. It's a terrible piece of architecture. You step into it, and you could be in any Marriott in the world. Almost no aspect of it has any relation to New York or Broadway. It's a soulless, sterile concrete fortress.

For those who were born and grew up in the 80s and 90s and never saw the old Times Square, there are certain aspects that have been lost forever. There were a small handful of skyscrapers, but most of the district had very small scale, odd three and four story buildings. Light to the street was not as blocked as it is now, with the many skyscrapers that line Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Allowances were made to slap a couple of jaunty signs on the shins and ankles of these new buildings, but they still create the feeling of a shadowy canyon for pedestrians walking Times Square. It all looks very "Blade Runner" these days. But New York is ever changing (for better or worse) and one has to accept that things you love about it may not still be there 10, 20 or 30 years from now.

As much as the new Times Square is a safer, cleaner place to be and the theatre industry seems more robust than at the various low points of the 70s and mid 80s, I do miss the energy that the old Times Square had, and the rush of nervousness and excitement I used to feel walking the streets of Times Square. The only thing like it these days is San Francisco's Tenderloin - although there, I feared for my life in ways I never did in the heyday of "bad old Times Square".

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"I miss the days when tourists were afraid of Times Square and a top Broadway ticket was 50 dollars..."

My first Broadway show, the rear orchestra price was $13.50.

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The only thing like it these days is San Francisco's Tenderloin - although there, I feared for my life in ways I never did in the heyday of "bad old Times Square".

I didn't actually visit NYC until five years ago, but of course before that, spent MANY hours in the Tenderloin. I've definitely felt safer this entire past year of living in NYC than I ever did in the Tenderloin. Even when I lived in Bed-Stuy.

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It wasn't just the theaters that got torn down. There were small office buildings--nor more than 5 or 6 stories--that housed theatrical craftspeople who made products that were used during the golden days of Broadway back to vaudeville days.

I remember a little building in 1982-83, on the south side of 47th Street, just west of Broadway, which was later torn down for part of the W Hotel. The building was owned by the Shuberts, and the top floor had once been one of Lee or J.J. Shubert's "hideaways"...presumably where he used to take chorus girls for sex.

The building had a birdcage elevator with an old-fashioned lever to make it go up or down. It could only fit 4 or 5 people, and the only door was one of those metal-grate doors that folded open like an accordion. It had a little seat, so there musty have been an elevator operator at one point in the past. You watched the walls go by as the elevator went up or down and prayed it would make it.

There were 5 stories in the small building and each one housed one shop only. There was a shoemaker who made dancing shoes and an old lady who sewed sequins and paillettes and bugle beads onto strippers costumes. Or at least she had in the past. We were never sure who she was making costumes for in 1983.

Gone.

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Updated On: 4/5/12 at 03:05 PM

And don't forget Charlie's (which later became Sam's) and Barrymore's, down 45th Street toward 8th Avenue.

Those two (inexpensive) restaurants that catered not to tourists but to performers and stagehands were wonderful, wonderful places to go before and after shows.

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Anyone remember this garish monstrosity, a porn house that I think was next to the Barrymore Theatre on 47th Street? I think it still existed well into the 80s. Still, it was eye-catching...

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Updated On: 4/5/12 at 05:05 PM

Disney or no Disney, the "Blade Runner" effect in Times Square was inevitable. Japan and China had been developing those centers for years and it was only a matter of time before Times Square followed suit. Giuliani and Disney just sped up the process a bit, but by the late 80s, you could already see it taking form. My first visit to Broadway was 1988, so I can't mourn the loss of that which I never knew, but I much prefer the Times Square of today to that of 1988 and the early 90s. I agree that the Marriott Marquis is an eyesore, though. Inside and out, that building is cold and gross. Love some of the shows I've seen there, but that's it. Can't say I miss the Gaiety. Went there once to see what all the fuss was about and it was one of the stupidest attempts at homo-erotica I've ever witnessed. For anyone who belittles an audience for giving standing ovations, try an audience that applauds an erection. At least it gave me some perspective.

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This was Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets - must be around 1978, since the movie version of The Wiz is playing at Movieland (while the Broadway show was still playing). Also Eubie and I Love My Wife.

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Updated On: 4/5/12 at 05:34 PM

Another view of Broadway from 46th to around 48th Streets...

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This is a screen capture from Midnight Cowboy, 1968. It's Broadway from 45th Street looking north, to about 49th Street (I think that's the Brill Building way off in the distance). No skyscrapers...

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