Remarkable before-and-after photos of seedy Times Square and desolate South Bronx — two areas that Koch, who died Friday , took under his mayoral wing in the '70s.
Left: The Victory Theater, which became the first theater on 42nd Street to exhibit pornographic films in 1972. [source]
Right: The New Victory Theater. In 1990, less than a year after Koch left office, the city and state took took possession of the theater.
From a Fieldston School course reading, Times Square Through the Ages:
[In the mid-1970s, the Ford Foundation's] plan was for a giant indoor amusement park, which would serve to remind people of the leisurely establishment Times Square was supposed to be. Mayor Ed Koch quickly rejected the plan, citing it as ridiculous ...
When Mayor Koch rejected the plan of the Ford Foundation, he was then expected to come up with a better plan. Koch created a series of initiatives which cleaned up the subway and historic theaters that were now showing pornographic movies. Most significantly, however, his administration granted more lenient zoning laws to allow for the development of massive office buildings around Times Square. This appeared to be the best option, as the developers got what they wanted, massive office buildings which could not otherwise be constructed, and the city got what it wanted, private money going to clean up Times Square ...
When Koch left office, Mayor Dinkins vowed to continue to oversee construction and resurrection of Times Square.
Left: Howard Johnson's, a burlesque, and Vietnam peace protesters. [source]
Right: Howard Johnson's and a sign for the musical Chicago in 2008. [source]
Left: Times Square Ladies. [source]
Right: Times Square Smurfettes. [source]
