Project Proposal: Vice as Media – Mapping the Transformation of ‘The Deuce’

I have lived in New York City for a little over five years.  During that time, I’ve had the distinct privilege of working in Times Square – the corporate headquarter, overpriced chain restaurant, and tourist capital of the world.  For the first week, I thought it was the coolest thing ever, now I question anyone’s desire to visit the area.  In my time here, though, I’ve learned that the Times Square of today is a completely different beast than the Times Square of my parent’s generation.   Every now and then, New York Magazine’s Daily Intel blog features a piece called “21 Questions” where they interview famous New Yorkers.  One question that’s ALWAYS on the list is “Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?”  Many of the responses (some below) have persuaded me to dive deeper into the “old” Times Square.

Bob Balaban – “I’m not crazy about the lawn chairs, but I like the new Times Square. It’s noisy and bright, and you don’t fear for your life when you leave the theater.”

Tony Danza – “For the good of the most people, I guess I’d take Times Square now, but I miss some of the slime of the seventies.”

Morgan Spurlock – “ The old Times Square had so much fantastic character … and knives and drugs and prostitutes. It’s all become like a theme park now. But it’s not like I’m pining for pimps and drug dealers and a chance to get shanked in Times Square to come back. But looking back — fondly — on my first trip to New York,  as we were driving through Times Square, my parents said ‘don’t get out of the car.’ And I was like, ‘Mom, is that a real prostitute?’”

(source: http://nymag.com/tags/21-questions/2/)

The area has a rich history; formerly known as “Longacre Square,” Times Square became the heart of New York’s theater scene as the industry’s northward migration began to slow, moving along Broadway from 23rd street, to 34th, finally taking root around 42nd street.  Accompanying the theater migration were brothels, bordellos, burlesque houses, gambling and crime.  Towards the middle of the 20th century (especially in the years following WWII) the wave of crime that followed in the wake of the theater migration concentrated on 42nd street between Broadway and 8th Avenue.   Affectionately known as the “Deuce,” 42nd street gradually became overrun with grindhouse and porn theaters, peep shows, drugs and prostitution.  In response to a changing local and national economy, the great theater palaces built to showcase the best entertainment the world had to offer in the early 1900s, were gradually forced into showcasing more “marginal” genres during the decades to follow.  After years of crime, fear, and protest over the nature of the Deuce’s offerings, city and state officials passed a massive redevelopment plan – The 42nd Street Redevelopment Project – which saw much of the area razed in favor of skyscrapers or converted into more tourist-friendly entertainment options.
My goal for this project is to map the former (or still existing) locations of some of the more (in)famous theaters along the Deuce.  While exploring the lifecycles of these establishments – from “legitimate” theater, through their socio-cultural “deterioration,” and after their demise or rehabilitation – I hope to draw connections between them, highlighting characteristics such as their architects, ties with the theater/film industry over time, and their current use.   New York City is an ecosystem of landmarks, we make them up for ourselves, give directions to others by them, and use them as homing beacons or distance markers.  No matter how infamous, or how hard the City has tried to erase them off the map, it is important to remember iconic neighborhood landmarks and their evolution over the years.  The “old” Times Square was a circus that my generation has never had the chance to experience (much to our parent’s pleasure), and by mapping these theaters, I hope to create a snapshot of the 42nd Street that many have chosen to forget.
After a week or so of initial research, here is a tentative list of theaters I’d like to explore (I plan on narrowing this down further):

• The Rialto Theater
• Times Square Theater
• The Lyric
• The Victory
• The Liberty
• The Apollo
• The Selwyn
• The Harm
• The Anco
• The New Amsterdam
• Cine 42
• The Harris
• Roxy Twin
• The Empire Theater

By using historical photographs, I hope to be able to recreate a stroll down the block with my map, comparing the neighborhood then to what it looks like today.  If possible, I intend to find audio or visual clips of the movies highlighted in the marquees of the theaters to offer a glimpse into the content they showcased.  The Deuce was a popular setting for many Hollywood movies in the 1980s and 90s, so it would be great if I can find scenes that took place along this strip of 42nd Street.  I want to use several layers of information on the theaters to draw connections throughout the neighborhood, some ideas I have now involve gathering data on construction date, architect/designer, initial uses, reasons for transitioning to “marginal” genres, theater management over the years, as well as details about decommissioning, deconstruction, or current uses.