Right in front of you is a towering skyscraper with striking pinkish glass panels and a gigantic, rounded granite arch soaring up its Broadway-facing side; just look up and spot the glossy, modern facade covered in huge, bright billboards-trust me, you can’t miss it!
Now, let’s dive into a wild little slice of Times Square history as you stand at the feet of the Hyatt Regency Times Square. Can you hear that? You’re surrounded by the buzz and neon dazzle of Manhattan’s legendary Theater District, but believe it or not, this spot once had a much, let’s say, less sparkly reputation. Before the sharp glass and pinkish granite rose up here, this side of Broadway was a haven for pinball arcades, souvenir shops, and some of the naughtiest neon signs in town-think Pussycat Cinema, Kitty Kat, and Mardi Gras Topless Disco. It was like Broadway’s secret late-night cabaret, and it made quite the impression on visitors and city officials alike!
In the mid-1980s, developer William Zeckendorf Jr. saw potential for something bigger than adult cinemas-like, literally bigger. He snapped up the land and began dreaming up this 480-foot, 46-story tower, with a design by Alan Lapidus, whose father was famous for flashy Miami hotels. Demolition swept away the old, the neon flickered off, and by 1988, construction was echoing through the block. The city actually demanded bright signage and deep building setbacks, so Lapidus leaned in-he designed a gleaming facade with a 100-foot arch meant to evoke a giant 1930s jukebox. Some called it glamorous, others called it garish, but at night, it was ablaze in neon and was impossible to ignore. (Fun fact: the first billboards here once cost $100,000 a year just to maintain!)
The doors first swung open to guests in 1989 as the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza-a high-rise home of marble bathrooms, tech-savvy rooms (at least by 1989 standards), and amenities galore, including a pool and a gym spacious enough for a Broadway kick line. The party didn’t always go as planned, though: empty office floors glowered behind the glass, and some of the planned super-flashy signs never materialized, leaving exposed, unloved brickwork. Paul Goldberger of The New York Times wasn’t impressed; he said it looked much better at night-probably because you couldn’t see those bricks in the dark!
Over the years, the building changed names, faces, and owners faster than you could catch a cab outside. It became a favorite for big conventions, sequestered juries, and even opened its doors to politicians-delegates from Arkansas camped out here when Bill Clinton was running for president. The American Management Association finally filled the empty office floors, while outside, billboards for everything from Poland Spring to Hershey’s chocolate lit up Times Square. In 1999, a $2 million bar renovation tried to keep up with the sweeping changes transforming Times Square itself from gritty crossroads to a glitzy tourist mecca.
But life in the big city is never dull. The hotel shut down after 9/11 cut tourism, then powered back with a massive facelift in 2008. Krispy Kreme set up shop; more signs blazed; and even as ownership squabbled in boardrooms, this hulk kept welcoming guests with all the gusto of a Broadway performer. When COVID-19 hit, the lights went out again-no guests, no late-night banter, only the empty echo of a city that never truly sleeps.
But in classic New York style, the hotel returned and rebranded. After a dizzying carousel of renovations, lawsuits, mortgages, and even bankruptcy-plus a mysterious second closure-the doors reopened in July 2025 as the Hyatt Regency you see today.
Paul Goldberger once joked this building was at its best when the sun set and the neon came to life. Tonight, as Broadway’s marquees blaze and the arch glows like a jukebox from the roaring '30s, let your imagination rewind through decades of glitz, grit, and glow-because here in Times Square, the show always goes on.
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