Down 42nd Street: Sex, Money, Culture & Politics at the Crossroads of the World

by Marc Eliot

A social history of New York's 42nd Street explores the various ways in which money, politics, sex and culture have shaped the famed boulevard and offers profiles of the famous and infamous characters who have played key roles in its history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, New York

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about 42nd street in New York City, which stretches from the Hudson River to the East River. It has many famous landmarks – the United Nations (on the East River), the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, the New York City Public Library, and of course Times Square which is from 42nd to 47th Street. It has hosted, since the turn of the 19th century, the world-famous theatre district.

And for decades between 7th and 8th Avenues it was basically a pervasive porn and drug mart – sometimes called a toilet, smut city, a sewer… among many other names.

The author brings up all these subject areas and the many colourful New York personalities involved. For example, in preserving beautiful Grand Central Terminal from destruction, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis became instrumental in the mobilization of this.

Decades of work went into trying to clean the porn, the drugs and crime from the Times Square area on 42nd Street.

Page 164-165 Fred Papert

“One day Ms. Onassis and I [in the 1970s] decided to take a walk to the West Side, to see what was happening on the other end of 42nd street. It was supposed to be a relaxed nostalgic look at what we remembered as the heart and soul of the city. After all, the block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues had been at one time the most famous street in the world… When we crossed over past Sixth Avenue, we were shocked and horrified by what we saw. Drug dealers were operating out in the open, half-naked prostitutes were everywhere, and old men were propositioning young kids in front of amusement parlors, in broad daylight and plain sight. And, of course, there were rows and rows of peep shows and sex stores that seemed to go on forever. We both just stood there staring in disbelief, and I kept thinking to myself, over and over, my God, how did all this happen?”

The author describes the endless real estate squabbles that took place to rid 42nd street of the porn and drugs; most of the money was being made from drug sales of all kinds and the mafia controlled this. Over many decades nothing seemed to work – and there were endless court battles over real estate (I thought this portion of the book was over-extended with too much real estate terminology). Eventually this area was cleaned up and by the mid-1990s Disney and other lucrative brand-names moved in. And possibly what really did the trick (along with more police work and zoning restrictions) was the VCR tape – where one could watch whatever one wanted in the privacy of their own home – without running the risk of venturing out to 42nd Street. The theater area was restored, made safe and visually respectable. Of course, theater tickets have now gone through the roof with $500.00 or more for a seat for the more popular shows, not sure what has happened since the pandemic.

This book captures the awesome contrasts, diversity, and vitality of this great city.

[Jennifer Dines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book recently appeared in our Little Free Library, and, as I love "underground" American history, I couldn't resist it. The beginning moves quickly from New Amsterdam's tragic beginnings, as Aaron Burr refused to grant access to his reservoir's clean water for the city, despite deadly outbreaks of yellow fever. However, the latter chapters are filled with the mundane details of real estate transactions and tax incentives. Though at some points, Eliot seems to condemn the Disney-fication of 42nd Street, his point of view is not fully developed.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts out very strong, with extremely interesting history and cogent social observations. I found the later chapters less interesting, as they covered the redevelopment of Times Square but to my mind were insufficiently critical of the NYC government and business leaders. Basically from Koch onwards, I didn't get the sense that the story was juicy enough, when in fact that story is extremely juicy -- and tragic. I'm not sure what part was missing for me, but I just didn't get the sense that this was grand sweeping epic history, once we hit the middle of the 20th century.

Nonetheless, it's an indispensable guide overall, and the first half of the book is fascinating.

[Joe Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at the history of the fabled NYC Street combined with a detailed account of the decades-long effort to clean up the porn, drugs and sex workers that arrived in the wake of the 1970s collapse of the city’s economy.
Eliot also spends a section of the book looking at the battle over Grand Central Terminal with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis playing a key role in saving the beautiful terminal.
Written in a chatty, easy to read style.

[ger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the politics of the redevelopment of 42nd street. I read it just after Anthony Bianco's book on the same subject which was more focused on the history of Theatre. Very different books from very different points of view. Says a lot about the 'Truth of History' and what different people attribute to 'Cause' in any given development.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun quick NYC history read