A view of Times Square around 1908. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The same scene in 2014:
One more view of Times Square; the 1905 photo shows the Hotel Astor, which was opened in 1904 and lasted until 1967, when it was replaced by the building on the right, the one prominently advertising The Lion King.
Times Square in New York City, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
Times Square in 2014:
The only building that is readily visible in both photos is the New York Times Building, which gives some kind of scale to show the amount of development that has occurred in the past 100+ years. Hiding behind a variety of electronic billboards, the building is still there, and has not changed in height. It’s hard to tell, but in the 2014 photo the top of the building is right around the bottom of the Toshiba sign. In 1905, the building towered over the rest of the square; today, it is barely noticeable among the much taller skyscrapers that now front Times Square.
The Times Square Building as it appeared during its construction, around 1904. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The building in 2014:
As mentioned in this post, the New York Times Building is literally a shell of its former self. Because of its narrow dimensions, it is more profitable to rent out the outside of the billboards, than to rent out the interior for offices. Today, only the ground floor is used; as of 2014, it was the home to a Walgreens. It looks completely different from the 1904 photo; it wasn’t even completed, and it still easily towered over its surroundings at Times Square. Both the building and the square were named after the New York Times, and although the paper moved to a new location in 1913, the name stuck.
Times Square, as it appeared around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The same view in 2014:
The tall building toward the right-hand side of the 1905 photo is actually still there – it’s the Times Square Building, and was the headquarters of the New York Times in the early 20th century, hence the name “Times Square.” The New York Times hasn’t used the building in a century, but it’s still there, covered in billboards, and with the famous New Years ball at the top. Because of the building’s narrow dimensions, it’s actually more profitable to cover it in billboards and electronic signboards instead of renting it out. Otherwise, all of the other buildings in the first picture are either gone or are completely hiding behind billboards and signs. I think I like the 1905 photo better.
The Times Square Building, as it appeared in 1908. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The same view in October, 2010:
When the building was first built, it was the headquarters for the New York Times, hence the name Times Square. Prior to then, it was known as Longacre Square. The Times only kept their headquarters there until 1913 though, and used the building as a branch office until they sold it in 1961. In 1963, Allied Chemical bought the building and extensively modified its exterior. They sold it in 1996, at which point it was decided it would not be economically feasible to upgrade the interior, since the narrow building had such small floors. So, instead of renting the interior, the owners decided to rent the exterior, by adding 26 billboards that cover almost the entire building and bring in more money than renting the office space inside would.
Today, the building, which was once the second tallest in the city, and once towered over Times Square, is now dwarfed by taller buildings on virtually every side, including the 47-story Times Square Tower directly behind it, and the Condé Nast Building, visible on the left-hand side of the picture. However, it retains its place as a central part of Times Square, even if it is literally just a shell of its former self.