Herald Square
Herald Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in New York City | |
| Coordinates:40°45′00″N73°59′17″W/ 40.750°N 73.988°W | |
| State | New York |
| City | New York City |
| Borough | Manhattan |
| Boundaries | Broadway,6th Avenue,34th and 47th Streets |
| Transit connections | New York City Subway:         at34th Street–Herald SquarePATH:JSQ-33,JSQ-33 (via HOB),HOB-33at33rd Street |
Herald Squareis a major commercial intersection in theMidtown Manhattanneighborhood ofNew York City,formed by the intersection ofBroadway,Sixth Avenue(officially Avenue of the Americas), and34th Street.Named for the now-defunctNew York Herald,a newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area. The bow tie-shaped intersection consists of two named sections: Herald Square to the north (uptown) andGreeley Squareto the south (downtown).
Description[edit]
Herald Square proper is the north end of the square between West 34th and 35th streets. The oldNew York HeraldBuilding was located on the square. The square contains a huge mechanical clock whose mechanical structures were constructed in 1895 by the sculptorAntonin Jean Carles.[1]The monument, known as theJames Gordon BennettMonument, consists of the Goddess of Wisdom,Minervawith her owls in front of a bell, flanked by two bell ringers mounted on a Milford pink granite pedestal. The monument's bell was designed to chime on the hour. The two seven-foot-tall bronze laborers, nicknamed Stuff and Guff give the appearance of ringing the bell with their mallets, while in actuality is rung by mallets located behind the bell. The figures and the clock were originally part of the 1894 New York Herald Building that was located at the square. Prior to the demolition of the building in 1921, the figures were removed and reinstalled in the Square in 1940.
Greeley Square lies between West 32nd and 33rd streets between Broadway and Sixth Avenue, and is taken up almost entirely by a triangular park.[1]It is named afterHorace Greeley,who was the publisher of theNew York Tribune,theHerald'srival newspaper. (The two papers later merged to form theNew York Herald Tribune.)[2][3]There is astatue of Greeleyinside the park, created in 1890 byAlexander Doyle.[1]The small park is planted with trees and shrubbery, enclosed by a wrought-iron fence, and provided with inviting chairs, tables and a restaurant kiosk.
Herald and Greeley Squares stand today as rest areas for the thousands of shoppers that flood the neighborhood, as a lunchroom for thousands of midtown office workers, and as a stage for product launches, musical performances, and photo and film shoots.
Shopping[edit]
The area around Herald Square along Broadway and 34th Street is a retail hub. The most notable attraction isMacy's Herald Square,theflagshipdepartment storeforMacy's,the largest Macy's store in the United States. In 2007,Macy's, Inc.moved its corporate headquarters to that store after changing the corporation's name from Federated. Macy's' archrivalGimbelswas also located in the neighborhood until 1984; in 1986 that building became theManhattan Mall.[4]Other past retailers in the area includedE.J. Korvette,Stern's,andAbraham & Straus.J.C. Penneyopened its first Manhattan flagship store in August 2009 at the former A&S location inside the Manhattan Mall. The square is roughly equidistant betweenMadison Squareto the south, andTimes Squareto the north. Greeley Square's south side bordersKoreatown,at West 32nd Street.
Transportation[edit]
The area is served by theNew York City Subway's34th Street–Herald Square station,which is serviced by theB,D,F,<F>,M,N,Q,R,and Wtrains.[5]Additionally, the33rd Street stationon thePATH'sHOB–33,JSQ–33,andJSQ–33 (via HOB)trains serves the southern part of Herald Square.[6]
Renovation[edit]
Since 1992, Herald and Greeley Squares have been cared for by the 34th Street Partnership, aBusiness Improvement District(BID) operating over 31 blocks in midtown Manhattan. The 34th Street Partnership provides sanitary and security services, maintains a horticultural program that includes trees, gardens, and planters, and produces events, product launches, and photo shoots. 34th Street Partnership also added movable chairs, tables, and umbrellas, to the parks.[citation needed]In 1999, the parks were completely renovated by the 34th Street Partnership. Two years later, the partnership added the city's first Automated Pay Toilets in the two squares, one in each square.[7]Since 2008, each square has had a food kiosk operated by sandwich, soup, and salad shop 'Wichcraft.[8]In 2009, the 34th Street Partnership converted the parks' Automated Pay Toilets into free public facilities, a rarity in New York City.[9]
With the introduction of "Broadway Boulevard", a 2009 project by theNew York City Department of Transportationto increase pedestrian space on the segment of Broadway between 35th and 42nd Streets, the passive space provided by Herald and Greeley Squares more than doubled, radically changing the character of the area.[10][11]The two blocks of Broadway between 33rd and 35th Streets were completely closed to vehicular traffic, and were made pedestrian-only with bike lanes. The 34th Street Partnership filled the newly pedestrianized space with chairs, tables, umbrellas, and free public programs such aschesstables, dance lessons, and exercise classes.[citation needed]As of April 2013, the boulevard had been redesigned.[12]Because of the popularity of the pedestrian plaza and bike lanes in Herald and Greeley Squares, the plaza was redesigned again in 2019. Another block of Broadway between 32nd and 33rd Street was shut to vehicular and bike traffic, while 33rd Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue was reopened, and the bike lane through Greeley Square was relocated from Broadway to Sixth Avenue.[13]The Greeley Square restroom was restored in 2020.[14]
In popular culture[edit]
Numerous songs refer to Herald Square, such as:George M. Cohan's song "Give My Regards to Broadway"(1904), which includes the lyrics" remember me to Herald Square "; Andrew B. Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer's song" Take Me Back to New York Town "(1907);Billy Joel's song "Rosalinda's Eyes"(1978); andFreedy Johnston's song "Bad Reputation"(1994).
Herald Square is the terminus for theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,broadcast nationally by NBC-TV.
References[edit]
Notes
- ^abcWhite, Norval& Willensky, Elliot (2000).AIA Guide to New York City(4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 225.ISBN978-0-8129-3107-5.
- ^Jackson, Kenneth T.,ed. (1995).The Encyclopedia of New York City.New Haven:Yale University Press.p. 540.ISBN0300055366.
- ^Moscow, Henry (1978).The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins.New York:Hagstrom Company.p. 60.ISBN978-0-8232-1275-0.
- ^Lueck, Thomas J. (September 10, 1989)."Fortune's Smile Glimmers on Herald Sq".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 20,2007.
Although Macy's survived and has prospered as the Herald Square landmark, Ohrbach's, Korvettes and Gimbels had closed by 1984.... The 260,000-square-foot (24,000 m2) Herald Center, which opened in 1986 as the city's largestvertical mall,has so far shown little prospect of success.
- ^"Subway Map"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.September 2021.RetrievedSeptember 17,2021.
- ^"33 Street Station".Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.RetrievedMarch 6,2023.
- ^Hu, Winnie (August 10, 2003)."What New Yorkers Want From Pay Toilets: Basics; High-Tech Is Swell, but So Is a Simple Flush".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
- ^Maurer, Daniel (September 29, 2008)."Colicchio Opens Two New 'Wichcrafts: Small Potatoes?".Grub Street.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
- ^Del Signore, John (December 10, 2009)."A" Quality Deluxe Manual Restroom Experience "in Herald Square".Gothamist.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
- ^"Broadway Boulevard - Times Square to Herald Square"(PDF).New York City Department of Transportation. May 2008.RetrievedMarch 6,2023.
- ^Neuman, William (February 26, 2009)."In New York, Broadway as Great Walk Way".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
- ^"Broadway Boulevard - W. 42nd to 35th Streets"(PDF).New York City Department of Transportation. October 22, 2012.RetrievedMarch 6,2023.
- ^"Penn Herald District Pedestrian Access Plan"(PDF).New York City Department of Transportation.March 2019.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
- ^Hu, Winnie (February 14, 2020)."Is This New York City's Nicest Public Bathroom?".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
External links[edit]
- Herald Square- NYC Parks
