Postcards from Times Square Sights and Sentiments from the Last Century George J. Lankevich

ISBN: 0-7570-0100-9 Length: 192 Pages Size: 8.5 X 5.5-inch Format: Quality Paperback Category: NYC / Collectibles / History Price: $14.95 Availability: In Print   Contents Reviews

Originally called Longacre Square, this New York landmark became Times Square after the opening of the Times Tower. And the rest is history. Located in the heart of the theater district and the center of New York nightlife, Times Square has, over the years, attracted people from all walks of life, from brewery workers to stage actors, from the poorest of transients to the cream of New York society. It has, in fact, become the "Crossroads of the World."

Through 130 postcards that span a century, Postcards from Times Square paints a picture of an area that has been the home of movie palaces and playhouses, of elite restaurants and fast-food chains, and, eventually, of the best-known New Year's celebration in the world. You'll see the Great White Way exchange its gaslights for electric bulbs and, eventually, for neon. You'll visit famed sights like Roseland, Radio City Music Hall, and Sardi's. And you'll discover how this world-renowned landmark has weathered a tumultuous century, growing from its rural roots, achieving worldwide fame, suffering a twilight of decay, and, ultimately, recapturing its magic.

George J. Lankevich received his PhD in American History from Columbia University. He taught for over thirty years in the City University of New York, and is now a professor emeritus. Dr. Lankevich is the author of over twenty volumes of history, including American Metropolis: A History of New York City.

Contents

Introduction

1. ACT ONE:
TIMES SQUARE, 1904-1919
Adolph Ochs and the Times Tower
The Theater District
The Grand Hotels
The Eastern Ridge

2. BETWEEN THE WARS:
TIMES SQUARE, 1919-1941
The Great Ziegfeld
Vaudeville and Burlesque on Broadway
Commercialism and the Great White Way
Radio City Music Hall

3. FROM TRIUMPH TO TWILIGHT:
TIMES SQUARE, 1941-1975
Times Square Goes to War
Palaces on Times Square
The Stork Club
Rockefeller Center

4. RESURRECTION:
TIMES SQUARE, 1975-2000
Rebuilding Times Square
The Saga of the Empire Theater

Conclusion
Index

Reviews

to come

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