The work of art, Times Square is an invisible, deliberately unmarked area of sound at the north end of the pedestrian island at Broadway between 46th and 45th Streets. Conceived and originally installed by artist Max Neuhaus, it provides a rich harmonic sound texture that emerges from a large underground vault covered by a grating.
Commenting on artwork, Neuhaus has said, "For those who find and accept the work's anomaly, the island becomes a different place, separate, but including its surroundings. People, having no way of knowing that it has been deliberately made, usually claim the work as a place of their own discovering."
Installed by the artist in 1977, the artwork remained active until 1992, when Neuhaus moved abroad. In 2002 it was reinstated with the help of the Times Square Business Improvement District, MTA Arts for Transit, and the Dia Art Foundation, which will assume responsibility for its upkeep.