During the Roaring Twenties, Times Square was New York City’s most famous red-light district, the center of the party while neon signs beckoned visitors from miles around before the Great Depression brought an end to the razzle-dazzle.
This is the story of when times Square was filled with dazzling lights and life. Historians have uncovered plenty of clues about what Times Square was like in the 1920s. The city’s first subway line opened in 1904. It became a major mass transit hub, attracting hotels, restaurants, department stores, and other businesses.
The Times Square of the 1920s was a bustling place so here is a glimpse of what that era was like.
The Glittering Times Square Of The 1920s
In the 1920s, Times Square was the center of the city and of New York City’s vibrant nightlife. This was as true in the 1920s as it is today. Broadway and 42nd Street were the focal points for entertainment, retail and services.
Traffic in the area was always heavy, with Broadway as the main thoroughfare. Fine restaurants and hotels attracted visitors from around the world and was lined with theaters, music halls and burlesque houses.
Times Square was an important place to the public. It was filled with street performers, who entertained the crowds with magic, acrobatics and other acts with one of the best-known street acts, the famous sign-twirling baby.
There Were Broadway Performances And Burlesque Shows
Popular theater productions were performed in Times Square. In 1922, the legendary producers Shubert Bros. Productions staged the first-ever Broadway road show which played in New York, San Francisco and many other cities.
The area surrounding Times Square in the 1920’s was home to many burlesque houses where strippers performed to a live audience and was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the United States.
Times Square Was A Mecca For Gamblers
Times Square was a mecca for gamblers in the 1920s. The center of the district was the so-called “nude block,” an area that was home to more than 100 gambling establishments. The area was nicknamed the “Slot Joint” because the arcades featured slot machines, which were illegal at the time.
Gambling was illegal in New York State at the time, so the district served as a way to get around the law.
New York’s Red-Light District Was At Its Height
New York City’s red-light district was at its height in the 1920s and was centered around 42nd Street. In the district’s immediate vicinity were hundreds of brothels, saloons and gambling parlors and a major hub of prostitution and alcohol sales.
In the 1920s, Times Square was filled with neon signs, many of them advertising brothels which was a new innovation in the 1920s and were seen as a sign of progress and modernity.
Times Square Became A Dark, Dangerous Place
Times Square’s glitzy amusements did not go unnoticed by the police, in fact, in the 1920s a detective nicknamed Times Square “Hell’s Hundred Block.” There was little public tolerance for vice in the district either.
In 1923, New York Mayor John Wisdom Laws passed a law making it illegal to “ Conduct any Circus, Tent, Booth, Stand, Car, Wagon, Building or other Obstruction in Times Square.” The law was passed in response to complaints about the rowdy crowds.
After the economic crash of 1929, Times Square became a dangerous place with a spate of murders and other violent crimes in the district which made national news on an almost daily basis.
The End Of An Era: The Great Depression Arrives
The end of the 1920s was an exciting time to be in New York City as the district was filled with bustling activity. Many people were optimistic about the future with the district also the site of one of the most famous New York City events of the decade, the Times Square festival.
The Times Square festival took place in June of 1929 and the centerpiece of the event was a gigantic lighting of the Times Square signs which drew many thousands of visitors.
The wild and crazy times of Times Square however came to an end shortly after with the onset of the Great Depression and as mentioned earlier, the district became a more dangerous place and the site of more than a dozen murders.
Conclusion
Times Square experienced a period of intense activity in the 1920s with the area filled with theaters, restaurants, hotels and other businesses. The center of the district was the site of Times Square festivals, neon signs and a mecca for gamblers.
Make no mistake, these were exciting times to be in New York City before it fell into a major depression over the next decade followed by the Second World War which changed American history forever.