1890s-Present

1551 Broadway: From Dance Halls to Digital Billboards

The building at 1551 Broadway, at the northwest corner of Broadway and 46th Street in Times Square, has worn more faces than almost any other address in the district -- restaurant, cafe, taxi-dance hall, diner, burlesque house, and now a three-story glass shell wrapped in LED light.

A Century of Transformation

The distinctive three-story building at 1551 Broadway, at the northwest corner of Broadway and 46th Street, was built in the 1890s. Its stone-clad facade featured arched windows, balconies, and decorative urns across the roofline, making a grand architectural statement. From this vantage point close to the bustle of Longacre Square, this "Hot Corner" consistently drew crowds and activity — a corner that has been home to upscale dining establishments, revolutionary dance halls, iconic chain restaurants, burlesque theaters, and groundbreaking advertising displays.

From elegant restaurants to taxi dance halls, from family dining to adult entertainment, this corner has witnessed over a century of transformation in America's most famous intersection. Each era left its mark on both the physical structure and the cultural memory of Times Square, making 1551 Broadway a microcosm of New York's constant reinvention.

1551 Broadway, northwest corner of Broadway and 46th Street, 1974 — 1551 Broadway, 1974 -- Howard Johnson's and Follies Burlesk sharing one building, one of the great odd-couple pairings in Times Square history.

This corner has been home to upscale dining, revolutionary dance halls, an iconic chain restaurant, a burlesque theater, and groundbreaking advertising displays. The story of 1551 Broadway is ultimately the story of New York itself: constant change, creative adaptation, and the endless capacity to reinvent the urban experience.

ERA 1: THE GOLDEN AGE — DINING & THEATER (1890s-1917)

The distinctive three-story building at 1551 Broadway was built in the 1890s. Its stone-clad facade -- arched windows, balconies, and decorative urns along the roofline -- made a grand impression at the northwest corner of Broadway and 46th Street. It would be repurposed again and again as Times Square itself transformed around it.

Churchill's (c.1900-1909)

An early tenant was Churchill's, a notable restaurant and nightclub established by Captain Jim Churchill, a colorful character who had previously worked as a police captain. Despite relocating several times over the years, it became one of Times Square's elegant dining establishments, catering to the Broadway theater crowd with a luxurious interior, a dance floor, and live entertainment -- orchestras and performers that drew celebrities and well-heeled New Yorkers.

Churchill's Restaurant at 1551 Broadway, c1909 — Churchill's Restaurant -- a dining and entertainment hot spot, and part of Times Square's "Lobster Palace Society."

Churchill's was part of what was known as Lobster Palace SocietyThe nickname for the collection of upscale, late-night restaurants and nightspots in early-1900s Times Square where wealthy New Yorkers dined after Broadway shows -- named for the extravagant lobster dishes many of these palaces served. -- the wealthy dining after Broadway shows at establishments like Murray's Roman Gardens, Shanley's, and Rector's Restaurant. It's the Rector family who enter the history of this corner next.

Cafe Madrid (1909-1912)

George Rector was the son of another restaurateur and had grown up interested in the family business. However, after marrying a showgirl in 1909, George Rector became estranged from his father and purchased Churchill's at Broadway and 46th Street, renaming it the Café Madrid. This act of independence — marrying beneath his station, in the eyes of his father, and striking out on his own — marked a turning point: Rector was charting his own path, even if it meant breaking with family.

A rare postcard of the café features his name prominently, suggesting his pride in the establishment. The photograph, likely taken in 1909, shows the site just as the neighboring Globe Theatre was beginning construction — a dramatic change for the corner.

Corner of 1551 Broadway, c1909, with a temporary plaster statue nicknamed "Purity" and a construction banner for the new Globe Theatre — The corner, c1909 -- a temporary plaster colossus nicknamed "Purity" stands watch as a banner announces Charles Dillingham's new theatre, under construction next door. The building beyond has already been cleared to make way for it.

Perhaps not to be outdone by the impressive new Globe Theatre next door, Café Madrid invested significantly in its appearance. In 1911, the establishment added elegant awnings, extensive window-box plantings, and dramatic rooftop shrubbery — transforming the corner into something approaching European grandeur. Large decorative lanterns were hung on chains over the sidewalks below, playing up the exotic nature of the dining experience.

Cafe Madrid, Longacre Square, 1911, with rooftop greenery — Cafe Madrid, 1911 -- rooftop shrubbery and window-box plantings gave the corner an almost European feel.

Cafe Madrid postcard, Broadway and 46th Street, hand-colored, c1911 — "Cafe Madrid, Geo. Rector" -- a hand-colored postcard of the full block, with the Gaiety Theatre marquee at left and the Globe Theatre's vertical sign at right.

Globe Theatre entrance detail, c1911, with Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth show bill — A closer look at the 'Hot Corner', 1911. The Globe Theatre features a marquee ad above its entrance for "Elsie Jane."

Times Square panorama looking north, c1911, showing the Times Tower, Astor Hotel, and the Hot Corner — A closer look at the 'Hot Corner', 1911. The Globe Theatre features a marquee ad above its entrance for "Elsie Jane."

A new neighbor had joined the block on January 10, 1910, when the newly built Globe Theatre opened at 205 West 46th Street. It featured a retractable roof and an additional entrance directly on Broadway, giving it prominent visibility. From this point forward, the corner building became more or less surrounded by the theatre — a relationship that would define the visual landscape for the rest of its existence. The Globe Theatre survives today as a working Broadway house, renamed the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1958.

Globe Theatre at 205 West 46th Street, March 1910 — The Globe Theatre, brand new, March 1910.

Cafe Madrid and the new Globe Theatre vertical sign, Broadway streetscape, c1910 — A wider view of the block, c1910, with the new vertical GLOBE THEATRE sign rising above its Broadway entrance -- and Cafe Madrid's period ads for "The Chocolate Soldier" and Fields' Old Dutch visible along the block.

In the spring of 1911, George Rector sold the café and returned to manage the dining room of his family's hotel, clearing the way for the next tenant. Yet his legacy — the spirit of elegant reinvention on this corner — would persist through the decades ahead.

Child's Restaurant (1912-1959)

Child's Restaurant at 1551 Broadway, February 1940 — Child's, February 1940 -- "Famous Turkey Dinner with all the trimmin's, only 85 cents."

In 1912, the ground floor became a Child's Restaurant, part of one of the first national dining chains in the United States. Known for its standardized menu and decor, Child's served affordable meals to theater patrons and tourists alike for nearly half a century, closing in 1959.

For a short stretch in 1913-14, the second floor above Child's held the Bun Jan Mandarin Restaurant. A 1914 photograph shows the sign still up while "Cabiria" (1914) played next door at the Globe Theatre, 1555 Broadway -- and shows the plantings that once softened Cafe Madrid's balconies already gone.

Bun Jan Mandarin Restaurant postcard, 1913 — Bun Jan Mandarin Restaurant, second floor above Child's, 1913 postcard.

Bun Jan Mandarin Restaurant, rare 1914 photograph — Bun Jan Mandarin Restaurant, second floor above Child's, 1913 postcard.

Bun Jan Mandarin Restaurant lantern detail, 1914 — A closer look at Bun Jan Mandarin's decorative lanterns, hung dramatically on chains over the sidewalk to play up the restaurant's "exotic" theming.

Horn & Hardart Automat (1912-1915)

Within a year and a half, the reset button hit again. By 1915, the ground floor saw a revolutionary new arrival: the imposing H & H Automat eatery — one of the first of its kind in New York. Started in nearby Philadelphia, the Horn & Hardart company had pioneered an entirely new concept of American dining: coin-operated food dispensers offering affordable, quick meals. This revolutionary dining concept fundamentally changed how Americans thought about fast food, and the Times Square location became a cultural icon.

The vertical AUTOMAT sign lights-up the night on the west side of the square. A likely comfort to the patrons exiting the showing of Frankenstein at the Globe Theatre next door. July 26, 1934.

The massive new sign atop the Horn & Hardart Automat is hard to miss. It towers over the Globe and Central Theatres -- challenging the north advertising "Stack" for attention. January 13, 1937. — The vertical AUTOMAT sign lights-up the night on the west side of the square. A likely comfort to the patrons exiting the showing of Frankenstein at the Globe Theatre next door. July 26, 1934.

ERA 2: DANCE & NIGHTLIFE CULTURE (1917-1964)

Wilson's Dancing Studio (1917-1932)

In 1917, the third floor became Wilson's Dancing Studio, a "taxi dance" hall where patrons paid to dance with hostesses. It's remembered today mostly for one encounter: writer Henry MillerThe famous American writer met his future wife, June Edith Smith, at Wilson's Dancing Studio in 1923 -- an encounter that would significantly influence his literary work, including "Tropic of Cancer." met his future wife, June Edith Smith, there in 1923.

Globe Theatre, Jan 1917 — The Globe Theatre, January 6, 1917. Photo: William Hassler.

This sliver of a remaining photo shows the hot corner building circa 1923 -- featuring Leggett's Drug store (ground floor), Monroe Clothing (second floor), and Wilson's Dancing Studio (third floor) where Henry Miller met his future wife.

Orpheum Dance Palace (1932-1964)

Wilson's Dancing Studio evolved into the Orpheum Dance Palace, which became New York's most famous "dime-a-dance" hall. Operating as a taxi-dance venue for over three decades, it catered to soldiers, sailors, and working men who paid to dance with hostesses. By the 1960s its reputation had declined along with the neighborhood's, and it closed in March 1964 — ending over 45 years of dance-hall culture at this one address.

Orpheum Dance Palace neon sign, Times Square, December 1944 — The Orpheum Dance Palace sign glows over a rain-slicked Broadway in December 1944, alongside the Automat and Strand marquees.

ERA 3: MOVING PICTURES & WARTIME CHANGES (1935-1957)

Through the Depression, the war years, and into the postwar boom, the Globe Theatre's marquee next door became an inadvertent chronicler of this corner -- each photograph fixed in time by whatever film was playing beneath the lights. The gallery below traces the block decade by decade, from "Tarzan" in 1935 through a Thanksgiving Day parade balloon drifting overhead in 1957.

The Corner Through the Orpheum Years

The Globe Theatre marquee next door offers a dated record of the corner across the Orpheum Dance Palace's long run -- each image fixed in time by the film playing beneath the lights. Click any photo for the full view.

Globe Theatre marquee, The New Adventures of Tarzan, c1935

Globe Theatre, East Side Kids marquee, 1940

Rainy day at the Globe Theatre corner, March 1943, John Vachon

Rainy day at the Globe Theatre, 1943, colorized, John Vachon

Globe Theatre, The Uninvited marquee, 1944

Globe Theatre corner, Gruen sign, Fun and Fancy Free, 1947

Globe Theatre corner at night in color, 1947

Globe Theatre corner, Kinsey and Ruppert signage, The Lucky Stiff on the marquee, 1949

Globe Theatre, Johnny Eager marquee, 1949

Rainy night at the Globe Theatre corner, 1950

Globe Theatre, The Desert Fox marquee, 1951

Globe Theatre corner postcard, Sins of the Borgias, 1956

Aerial view above the Globe Theatre corner, Thanksgiving Day Parade turkey balloon

ERA 4: HOWARD JOHNSON & CHANGING TIMES (1959-2005)

Howard Johnson's Restaurant (1959-2005)

Howard Johnson's restaurant at 1551 Broadway, c1969 — Howard Johnson's iconic orange-and-turquoise signage, c1969, photo by Hans-Joachim Jacobi.

In 1959, the ground floor became a Howard Johnson's, replacing Child's on the same spot. Round-the-clock, 28 flavors of ice cream, and that unmistakable orange roof and neon pieman sign -- it became a fixture for tourists, theatergoers, and the late-night characters who defined Times Square's grittier decades. It was the last Howard Johnson's in New York City when it finally closed on July 9, 2005.

The Howard Johnson's at 1551 Broadway marked a real shift in the corner's character: after decades of upscale dining and taxi dance halls, HoJo's brought middle-American, 24-hour comfort food to the heart of Manhattan.

The restaurant's nearly five-decade run made it a constant amid Times Square's dramatic transformations. When it closed in 2005, it marked the end not just for the building, but for a whole approach to casual dining that had defined mid-20th-century America.

ERA 5: ADULT ENTERTAINMENT & URBAN COMPLEXITY (1960s-2005)

Follies Burlesk (1960s-1975)

Follies Burlesk marquee, HoJo Cocktails Restaurant below, 1551 Broadway, c1972 — Follies Burlesk over Howard Johnson's Cocktails and Restaurant, c1972 -- "10 Big Acts," Pussycat Theatre next door.

From the 1960s, the second floor hosted Follies Burlesk, promoted on its own marquee as the "All Live Whirly Girly Revue" with "10 Big Acts." It was part of Times Square's vibrant adult entertainment scene, and it sat directly above the wholesome orange glow of Howard Johnson's — family dining and burlesque sharing one building, one of the era's stranger juxtapositions.

In June 1969, Times Square became the center of the boxing world when heavyweight contenders Joe Frazier and Jerry Quarry held a sparring session in the heart of Manhattan, drawing massive crowds and setting the stage for their upcoming title fight. The Hot Corner was very much at the center of Times Square's role as a gathering place for all of New York's diverse cultures and interests.

Gaiety Theatre (1975-2005)

Gaiety Theatre neon signage, c1978 — The Gaiety Theatre's neon, c1978 -- an anchor of Times Square's gay nightlife for three decades.

In 1975, the space became the Gaiety Theatre, a gay male burlesque venue that became an iconic part of LGBTQ+ nightlife in Times Square. Operating for three decades directly above Howard Johnson's, it was known for male striptease performances and played a significant role in the cultural fabric of the area. The Gaiety served as an important gathering place for the gay community during both the difficult years of the 1980s AIDS crisis and the more open atmosphere of the 1990s, closing in March 2005.

Howard Johnson's corner, 1970s, photo by Feininger — The HoJo's corner, 1970s, photographed by Feininger.

Hot Corner neon close-up, 1987, photo by Bill Puleston — Hot Corner neon, close-up, 1987. Photo: Bill Puleston.

The coexistence of Howard Johnson's family restaurant on the ground floor with adult entertainment venues above perfectly encapsulated Times Square's split personality during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s -- one building, two entirely different clienteles, a uniquely New York solution to sharing space.

ERA 6: DEMOLITION & DIGITAL REBIRTH (2005-Present)

The Final Years (1995-2005)

By its last years, Howard Johnson's at 1551 Broadway was open since 1959 but barely hanging on -- a ghost of itself, still serving the neighborhood while the building around it aged out of relevance. Photographer Tama documented the interior in its final days, in 2003 and 2004, not long before the doors closed for good in 2005.

Howard Johnson's side windows, January 2003, photo by Tama — HoJo's side windows, January 7, 2003. Photo: Tama.

Inside Howard Johnson's, 2004, photo by Tama — HoJo's side windows, January 7, 2003. Photo: Tama.

Demolition and American Eagle Outfitters (2005-Present)

Howard Johnson's and the Gaiety Theatre both closed their doors in March 2005, ending over a century of continuous reinvention at 1551 Broadway. The building was demolished in 2005-2006, making way for something entirely new.

In 2009, a modern three-story glass structure went up in its place at 1551 Broadway, wrapped in a towering 250-foot-high LED signage display and home to American Eagle Outfitters. The physical continuity of the old building was gone, but the corner's role as a center of advertising innovation remained unbroken. From the rooftop sign atop Café Madrid (1911) through Canon's triangular neon (1980s-90s) to today's sophisticated digital displays, this corner has never stopped pushing the boundaries of outdoor media.

Meanwhile, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (the former Globe) underwent an extensive restoration from 1997 to 1999, returning to its original architectural appearance and reopening with Disney's stage production of "Beauty and the Beast" — a testament to the enduring legacy of the theatre that once defined this corner's identity.

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 2005, Beauty and the Beast marquee — The Lunt-Fontanne in 2005 -- one of the few true survivors of the original block.

1551 Broadway modern day, present-day commercial building — The Hot Corner today -- American Eagle Outfitters' LED tower where Child's, HoJo's, and decades of history once stood. The physical memory is gone; only the photographs remain.

The Neighborhood Context

Playland Arcade

Multiple Playland Arcade locations operated along Broadway near 46th Street from the 1950s through the 1990s, offering video games, pinball machines, and other amusements -- part of the dense ecosystem of entertainment, dining, and commerce that defined the Times Square experience for generations.

The evolution of 1551 Broadway mirrors the broader changes in Times Square: a center of social dance and entertainment, transformed into a commercialized, tourist-friendly district. From Churchill's elegant dining room to today's towering LED billboard, this corner has consistently reflected America's changing relationship with entertainment, commerce, and urban space.

Today, as millions pass the gleaming LED display at 1551 Broadway, few remember the taxi dancers who once waltzed on the floors above, or the late-night diners who found comfort in Howard Johnson's orange glow. But their stories remain part of the ongoing narrative of this remarkable corner, where the past and future of American entertainment continue to intersect beneath the bright lights of Broadway.