Like any great play, the story of Times Square has had twists and turns. The area hit bottom in the 1970s and 80s, when rampant drug dealing and prostitution, and the proliferation of pornography, rendered it menacing to many New Yorkers and tourists alike. Now, after successful efforts by both the city and private enterprise, the area has regained not only its signature visual dazzle but also much of its democratic character, catering to the broadest spectrum of tastes and interests. Never more brilliant than it is today, the Theater District is once again a compelling destination of the best of urban entertainment.

Though the completion of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel (John Portman, 1985) predated the Theater District’s full recovery, today, the building, wrapped in state-of-the-art illuminated signage, is part of the spectacle of light and movement that is nightly available to all, free of charge.

By the dawn of the new millennium, after decades of decline and neglect, the area was thriving once again. In many ways—principally the proliferation of illuminated signs and the presence of a vast array of amusements, from “high” to “low”—today’s Theater District is a return to the spirit of Broadway that emerged in the first three decades of the last century.

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