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Times Square
Neighborhood Thrives Under Gargano's
Leadership
by Natalie Keith
If there is one particular New York City neighborhood that
has thrived under Charles Gargano's leadership, it is Times
Square.
The neighborhood, which stretches from West 40th to West
53rd streets, just west of Sixth Avenue to both sides of Eighth
Avenue and all the way to Ninth Avenue on West 46th Street,
has seen many changes over the years.
But few have been as remarkable as the changes over the past
decade, when it was transformed from a tawdry mix of adult
businesses to a tourist-friendly destination. Industry observers
give much of the credit to Gargano, whose leadership at the
Empire State Development Corp. helped spurred revitalization
efforts.
"He gets a lot of credit for the success in the redevelopment
of Times Square," said Robert Selsam, senior vice president
and manager of the New York office of Boston Properties, which
has developed two Times Square office towers in recent years.
This year, Times Square marks its 100th anniversary with
a series of summer celebrations, special promotions, lectures
and the 100th Anniversary New Year's celebration on Dec. 31.
The area was named Times Square on April 8, 1904, after The
New York Times built its headquarters there.
Between 1900 and 1920, all of the theaters now standing were
opened. But after the stock market crashed in 1929, theater
owners were forced into bankruptcy and theaters were replaced
with other entertainment such as live burlesque and motion
pictures. By the early 1970s, the area was saturated with
adult uses and street crime.
In 1980 city and state officials created the 42nd Street
Development Project and in 1984 adopted a general project
plan that established a 13-acre renewal site. In 1990, after
years of litigation, the state took ownership of two-thirds
of the site, including six of the nine historic theaters.
When the city sought to redevelop the area in the 1990s,
it looked to restoration of the theaters as a way to kick
off revitalization efforts. So when the Walt Disney Co. signed
a memorandum of understanding with the city for the New Amsterdam
Theater project, it was a coup for the city. It also marked
the first in a string of entertainment, retail and office
projects that transformed the neighborhood and permanently
displaced the adult businesses.
So how was the city able to make progress in a neighborhood
where infighting and inertia had been the norm for years?
"In Times Square, Gargano was able to get the city and
state to agree on a vision and move forward on this mission,"
said Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades
Employers' Association.
With Disney leading the way, developers signed on for other
major developments in the neighborhood. In August 1996, Livent
Inc. began renovations of the Lyric Theaters, and a month
later Tishman Urban Development Corp. of New York announced
its plans for "E Walk," which consists of the 860-room
Westin Hotel, a 200,000-sq.-ft. entertainment and retail center
including a SONY movie complex.
In December 1996, Forest City Ratner Cos. of Brooklyn signed
a lease for a 42nd Street development, including restoration
of the Empire, Liberty and Harris theaters and construction
of a 13-level, 190-ft. high structure.
Included in the 500,000-sq.-ft. retail complex is the 140,000-sq.-ft.
AMC Theater complex and the 60,000-sq.-ft. Madame Tussaud's
Wax Museum. For this project, the Empire Theater was moved
168 ft. west.
Gargano said that one visible and well-done project can help
convince skittish developers to do work in an unproven area,
but the public sector must continue to build confidence in
an area.
"If the private sector doesn't have confidence in the
public sector, then they're not going to go into any community,"
he added.
By 1997, it was clear that Times Square was gaining redevelopment
momentum. The economy was thriving, restored theaters had
reopened for business and the neighborhood's renewed image
as an entertainment capital was firmly in place.
But it wasn't until plans were announced to build the Conde
Nast Building at 4 Times Square - the first major office tower
to be built in the city in years - that the private sector
showed confidence in the neighborhood beyond the retail and
entertainment sectors.
The Durst Organization in New York City was the developer
of the 48-story tower designed by Fox & Fowle Architects
of New York City and Kiss + Cathcart Architects of Brooklyn.
The building, with its energy-efficient and other green features,
opened in 1999.
In 2000, Reuters America's new headquarters building at 3
Times Square opened. The developers were Reuters America Holdings
Inc. and Rudin Management Co. Inc. of New York City. It was
designed by Fox & Fowle Architects.
The 32-story, 865,000-sq.-ft. building also features green
elements including efficient chillers, a state-of-the-art
building envelope and space in the building to accommodate
future green items such as fuel cells. It was named as New
York Construction magazine's 2000 Project of the Year.
Boston Properties Inc. was the developer for the next two
office towers constructed in Times Square, the 38-story, 1.1
million-sq.-ft. Ernst & Young building at 5 Times Square
and the 49-story, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Times Square Tower at
42nd Street and 7th Avenue. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates of
New York designed 5 Times Square, and Skidmore Owings &
Merrill, also of New York, designed the Times Square Tower.
With private sector development booming, the public sector
worked on improvements such as the reconstruction of the Times
Square station complex undertaken by the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority and New York City Transit.
Included in the project were the expansion of the 41st Street
and Seventh Avenue mezzanine, extensive electrical and signal
work and the installation of metal rails and floor and wall
tile.
In the meantime, new retail development continued with the
opening of the 100,000-sq.-ft. Toys 'R' Us store in Times
Square. The store includes a 60-ft.-high Ferris wheel, a 4,000-sq.-ft.
Barbie dollhouse and a five-ton, 20-ft.-high, 34-ft.-long
T-Rex.
As he looks to the future, Gargano is hoping that other areas
in the city will be transformed as successfully as Times Square.
"Lower Manhattan will clearly be the No. 1 tourist destination
in the world and will also be one of the most desirable places
in the city to live and work," he said.
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