High Tech Enhancements Arrive At Times Square Outpost Ahead Of The Holiday Season
The NYPD and New York City Police Foundation, together with other dignitaries, today marked the beginning of the busy holiday season with the unveiling of the newly renovated NYPD Times Square Substation. A centerpiece in the heart of New York City, the Times Square NYPD Substation is a state-of-the-art building advancing the Department’s security efforts for the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors who pass through the area every day. It will also be a dynamic mechanism from which the Department can share information and engage with the public in a significant way.
The New York City Police Foundation provided funding support for the project, including a generous gift of $1 million from Vornado Realty Trust, made possible by Daryl Roth, Broadway Producer, and Steve Roth, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vornado Realty Trust. Thomson Reuters and the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation also made major gifts to the New York CityPolice Foundation in support of the project.
“The NYPD’s vastly-improved Times Square Substation enhances our ability to connect with New Yorkers and the millions of visitors to our great city each year,” Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said. “To push violence and disorder down past already record-lows, it is imperative that our cops keep building trust and strengthening relationships with all the people we serve. The New York City Police Foundation is bolstering that mission by funding this important project and supporting our Neighborhood Policing philosophy. I thank the Foundation for its unwavering support of the men and women of the NYPD, and for helping our cops safely protect everyone in an effective, efficient, and professional manner.”
“Millions of families and tourists come to Times Square every year to see and experience the bustling metropolis of New York City–the Crossroads of the World,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This new substation will help keep every visitor safe, and ensure that Times Square remains a popular destination site for years to come.”
“This tremendous project is another great example of the strong public-private partnership that exists between the New York City Police Foundation and the NYPD,” said Andrew Tisch, Chairman of the Board, New York City Police Foundation. “Together, we were able to complete the renovation and redesign of one of the NYPD’s most visible outposts, efficiently and at a reduced cost, all while allowing the NYPD to continue to focus on their important work of keeping everyone who visits and calls New York home safe.”
Located on 43rd Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue – at the “Crossroads of the World” – the newly renovated facility serves as the functional base of operations for the NYPD in Times Square. The 1,200 square foot, glass and steel building reflects the new dynamic of Times Square and enhances the business environment, while providing increased surveillance and security. Using modern technologies to further engage with the public, the facility features interactive technologies that will make the police department’s presence in Times Square more visible and accessible.
While the NYPD has had a physical presence in the area for more than a half-century, the current site, originally the Times Square Information Center, which opened in 1957 and was dedicated in 1958, has remained virtually unchanged since the Times Square substation was relocated here in 1993. One of the iconic features of the old building, the one-story mosaic murals, will remain, thanks to the restoration work of Evergreen Restoration. The map murals are the work of Edward Meshekoff (1917-2010), an artist, illustrator and designer who was born in the Bronx. Made of hand-cut blue and orange glass tiles, the mosaic murals are two of the largest maps of New York City and reflect the City as it appeared in 1957.
