22 RECALIBRATING CENTERS AND MARGINS A Moveable Feast: Times Square and the Emergence of a New Paradigm CATHERINE C,GALLEY Texas Tech University Tiriirb Square is the onl! district \\it11 a zo~iir~gr~rdina~~te for the +enbe-. The o~en\llelnlirignoiws. -1nv1li. arid irrragei requiring trnant- to di.lh\ large 11ri;rht -ign-. mitliout tllii ( ontrilute to the c reation of exceptiorial aural. olfactor~.and i~~r~o~ati~e ae~theti( zoning framc\+orh. the itrii~in; tleiiprl of xi-ual ~xpt~ri(m(tab jor tlir rmiltitudt~of pi-rr-ln \+lie tq to tir~tl tllr facade> of the nen Lellman T<rotlwr.' hrdclqudrtcr. c o~ild their \\a\ through thc der~sel~croudcd stiretf. Cio4ng Time* riel er ha\ e materialized. This wctior~I rt~aceiI~rieil\ the origirii Square oifer~stroller- and drileri the exhilaration of multiple ol thew creati\e design guitlelir~rs. time and spatial tiimrnsiona. ephemrral illuiionb of extra- ternporal fragment- and incredible arc ornpanj irrg lcirietic en\ el- Since the opening of its ~uln+a~station and the pro( lamation op' -urruunding their rno.ring bodiei. Tl~rrci. iorr~ething that renarm=tl Lorptre Yquare in ho~ioiol the Nru Time- ecitatic dl11 and rapturousl\ absorhirig in Time. Square. Twer in 1003. Times Square haa de\elopetl a lonf tradition oi being \el\ 5 orh's r entral entertainment distric t. BI the 1020s. it had be( nme not onl! a popular and thri~ir~g eutcrtai~~mrrlt Large electronic clispla~ipla! an i~rlportarltrole in increaiing di.tritt but alio an internationdl .tage ior the xiwal expres-io11 tht, t on~plexit! of these cogriitix e experiences. The! are all- of a new ( o~rimeitial culture and the rrnhodirnrnt of the spirit pen "ling in Tirnt- Square and ha\ e hrt orrle inr reaiingl~ of Ne\+ 1 ork. 41~0rnarhet fo~crbpla?ed a critical role: a place prcwlt in the built en\ iroriment. Tliiq paper aims at under- like Time. Square did not happen apo~itaneousl\.Rather. it has star~dingho~ these high-tech electronic panel, r hallerige our been shaped Iry a seric. of dwisiori n~ahingpro( eiiei about trad~tior~alideas on architecture. urban dezip and urlran lalid use. fisral polic F. arid zoning codes that aifect land ~alue-. plarinir~garid hou the\ could affect futurc urha~iand snhnrl~an --In Ne\+ 1 o~h.politic. and real eitdte ha\ e dha\+lwen clowlj dc~chprnent.. The Lehrnan Brothels hradquarteri. lo(-ated on allied." (Huxtahle 1091. ,361). 7-15 be1 cnth -l\ enue at Fort! -ninth and Fiftieth Streets. prorideo a partitularh interebting caw itud~hrrauae of iti I11 1016. he\+ 1 orb (:it\ enacted a pioneering Zoning Red- succ ec.ful and l~armor~iouscon~hinatiorr of ail-hitrc tlire. arts. tion. ml~ich\\a. the firft colilprehensi\e zoning regulation in arid digital tet hnolop . the 1nited States. Uthough it did not Pprc iiicdll~ bet Tirne~ 91 st ACSA ANNUAL MEETING LOUISVILLE KY MARCH 14-1 7, 2003 23 'lhr 10132 RIitltot\r~Lorrirq Resolution aimed at ~eallocating c onitruc tion irit c~ntixes to ent ourage c or~*truction in the -1ugpi.11 B est Side: it alio required lighted wpe~iip-.or1 all nex\ dexeloprner~tilrontir~; Time- Squarri-a mandate that ~ouldIwt urn(. Iliglil! contro~ersial 1)ecauic. it oultl drarnatical- 11 afit~t the marlietabilit~oi (,la*. 4 office tmrri. Or1 the other hand. preienatio~~istg~o~ip* aid gra,sroots orpriizatiorla strongl! .upliorted the tleaign regulationi. Ilthongh it did nut b01\1' the compatihilitj i-ue \+it11corpor;lte image. tecl~r~ologi- I a1 innoxation that allox\ed for see-tl~rouphfinlihe signi rather tlian traditional billboardi pro\ided a .elution to the c'un~pati- hilit! need x+ith ofiice uiage. 111 \o\eml-)er 1984. the Ueu 1 orli Cit, Boald of E~tirnateapproxed the 4Lnd Street Ljex elopment Project -a long-tern1 plogranl to rexitalize the distric't. The $2.0 hillion 4Lnd Street Rnlrxelopmcnt Plan u.ed tax-ahate- Ilnfortunatel!. alongside the theater industn and its aisociateil mmt intentixec to encouracr dexeloper, to t~a~~aforn~Times I omnit~~cial buiine.wi. Times Square dm eloped a. a neighlm- Squarv h! lruilding four giant office toweri. containing 3.1 Ilootl uith soinr problematic wcial arid ~lrlmiactixities. .uch a- million square fret of floor space. a merchmdise rnarliet. and a drug dealing and prostitution. Frorn the 1900s until the mid- hotel: I-)I redoring histo~ic theater,: and h7 rellal~ilitatingthe 10901. Timei hquare was seen ~rlair~l!as a stage iet full of 42ntl Street sulmal station (Stern 1999). It also required b! lax\ '"1)ec.p -Iicn+s.'^ prnograph! itlops. erotic 1)ool.-tore, and \- that neu huildingi int lude Ijright lights and la~geillurninated rated moxie houie-. It became a s\rnhl of the danger and sup~wigri-as fqadc elerrirnts to preserxe and rnaintairi the t orruI~tiunreigning in Ueu 1orh Lit\. hi+torical character and ;riarnolou~iniagc. of Times Square In 1987. the RIunicipal Irt SINirtj supported a zoning amend- In the 1070a the tornmercial and rriidential co~nniunitiei ment impo.ing simila~iignage and liphtir~grequirerncmt; in the founded the Rla70r's Ilidtown Citizeni' ( oinmittee to tornht design ot all rieu &ice InAli~~gsin the greater Tirrie~Square the Irlipl~t.RIan! prix ate dex elopers designed proposals for the area. Ej 1988. thirteen building* Mere undei I onstruction or retlexrlopnlent of the diztrict, ~thic11 \\a\ iuflrring from planned around Times Square (Fain-tein 1093. 13-1) but \+it11 ili*inx e.tments and deterioration. Hou ex tr. c it! otficial- did not the propert1 recession of thv earl! 1990-. the plan mithcred. By offer an\ ~eriouiha( Itin9 until the earl) 1980s (Fainitein 1904. 1992, Gwernor Cuomo reliex ed del eloper\ from their contrac- 130) and l'irne, Square sunk into a state of deca,. Finall~.in tual e~lgagrn~erlts(Stern 1999). 1981. the tit\ go\ ernrnent announccd a retlex elop~ner~tichen~e and launched a request for proposals railing on dexelopers to Ne1rrthe1e.s. the earl\ 1090~were the beginning of a neu trend iubmit projects follouing a set of architectural guidelines that has not stopped. D hile the orig~nal project failed to dt~~iietlh! Coo~~r~-Etlistutand lssociates. The specifications rnatrrialize. an iricreacinp number of cwmpanies ie.g.. T iacom. ashrd lor the creation of a li~el! streetstape through building Brrteliniarln 4G. Rlorgan Stank!. tlic Q alt Uiinrx Cornparq, aetbac 1,s. glasi ctrert ltalls. large neon signs. and the design of and Darner Brother<) decided to inxe-t in Time. Square. buildings \tit11 up to 56 stories. The l\lex+ 'uorli Statr Lrhan Suddenlj.. the neigt~borhood\+as hur-tirq x\ith in\ estment and Uexeloprnent Corporation selecterl Parli Tomer Realt~ to reneval. Today. Tiriles 5quarr rtith itf huge number of drx ('1111) the otfice iec.tion and other dexeloperi to take care of megakcreens and flashing neon iignage ha. become orir of Next x a~ion. other components. 1ork'a iconic images and a llecca for ox\rrers of sign loc~~tions (Sa;al!n 2001. 331-2). The district'+ xitalit~ epitornizeq the Sinre the first announc ernent of the redr\elopn~entscheme in iuc cessful rexitalization of Rlanllattan's urljan hie. Iltllougll 1081. the project etirru~latedprotest from actixists fearing that thii qurcess is not \\ithout criticism. the origir~alit~of the gentrification mould displace lo\\er-income reaidrnts: from the planning regulations iq not I onteited. Huxtable (1091) and 24 RECALIBRATING CENTERS AND MARGINS , . lllr RIOI~IIhtadt'! .ip. \tlli( 11 ii ILOV t11(~1.rl1111an Erotllrr. +icn*is a grnt~~atio~~al~ts~d cd iurlr lripIr-\oltagt> T~III~,,S~IIJI~ -Ilo\tpicw~a\ thr c!lirltIric al hasdq -igr~or1 tht, ( IJII,~~Yd.t T4ui11ling. the IH 11tw ticker a11d telts\ i-ion w I twl at 1500 I;road\\a~.and tlr~.rrirq IJI tall wrerrl. jt~ttirlgout ho111t111, II~W Hruter. Buildiup ((;oltJl~nger 2002). c10.e proximit~of tlir auxiliaq lo( ation at 745 Sel rrdi Street from Ilorgari starile!'s hf?dd(pdrt~?l.. \\ hich ii abut two hloclt a\\ay. led the colnparrr to dec~deto not nloxe into its a1mo.t ( ornplete building. Irlitead it iold the niillion--quare-lool rren g1'1.i tomer for apI~loxirnatel! $700 millior~to anothe~securities iompans. Txhnlarl Brothers. I+ hi( 11 had hren tli~pl~ied fro111 it. .pace at J Tl orltl Financial ( enter (Holusha 2002). The crrati~r director W<orl an Gditt.1 ~+antetlto ( reatr a .i;n that nould be an integral h!er of arcliitccturr arrtl a series of I\PF startrd the p~ojectir~ 1006 and. at the time ot the contract \ikual sequrncri tl~at~toultl corlstantl\ animate and alter the in thr fall of 2CiO1, there \\a. not 111ucl1 leit for Lelirrian fac,ddc's appearance. The Inlaginel? Forcri team propo*etl a Brothers to do. The building rorlfiguration \\a\ partic~larl~ .erie> of Image5 on ~arioustheme& - -u~~riva.brid;rs. grcer~ addpted to co~ripdniebin the ircuritir* husineii and did not apple>. pig9 lranhs. glolwi. tradrr. at MOIL.The origir~al need to u~ldergoan\ major rwtruc turing. The ne\\ securitirs program tor RIorga11 Starlle! cle.ipr~rtl h! \a11 Lastel arltl 11ii compan! tool, o! rr the entire de\ eloprne~lt.aichitec tural and tolleagueq included wunds and iome \+orti. floatirlg or1 the ( onstrut lion group d..eriihled h! !lorpan %de~ to complete +(-reen\hut tlir acquisition of the propert\ L\ Lrhrnan Brothers an $80 million interio~ design piogranl and rilalie the feu imposed a 1r.s complex and rnore ahstrat t agenda (Goldl,rrZer (liange~necessar! to adapt t11~buildi~lg to the tompan) top 2002).