What was New York City's Times Square called before it was renamed in 1904?

New York City's Times Square was called Longacre Square before it was renamed in 1904.

The area received the name Times Square after The New York Times moved its headquarters to a newly built skyscraper there. New York City officially renamed the location on April 8, 1904, and the newspaper celebrated with a New Year's Eve event later that year.

The Times building, now known as One Times Square, was designed to support a large illuminated sign and became a powerful advertising landmark. The newspaper eventually moved elsewhere, but its name remained attached to the square and its annual celebration.

Longacre Square itself had been associated with carriage-making and the horse-trade district in what is now Midtown Manhattan. The old name is sometimes confused with nearby New York squares, especially Herald Square and Union Square. The famous ball drop was added in 1907, three years after the renaming.