Which New York City landmark drops a ball at midnight each New Year's Eve?

One Times Square is the New York City landmark that drops a ball at midnight each New Year's Eve.

The tradition began in 1907, when a time-ball-style illuminated sphere was lowered from the building's flagpole to mark the new year. The event replaced earlier fireworks celebrations in Times Square, which had been organized by newspaper publisher Adolph Ochs.

The ball is lowered during the final minute of December 31, reaching the bottom at midnight in the Eastern Time Zone. Although television coverage often calls it the “Times Square Ball Drop,” the ball is physically associated with One Times Square, a historic skyscraper at Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

A common mix-up is naming Times Square itself as the landmark. Times Square is the surrounding district and plaza; One Times Square is the building from which the ball descends. The modern ball is covered with Waterford crystal panels and is far larger and brighter than the original.