A New York native, Delfin Ortiz grew up visiting landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the American Museum of Natural History. Now he's turning another one, the site of the New Year's Eve ball drop, into a year-round destination.
The general manager of One Times Square is taking the 122-year-old tower another step toward that goal with the public debut of Times Travel, an immersive attraction that takes visitors through the history of Times Square before leading them to a 360-degree observation deck and glass walkway 19 stories above the "Crossroads of the World."
Times Travel is the latest component of One Times Square owner Jamestown's effort to widen the landmark's appeal. Since December, the developer has opened the observation deck and a multilevel iCandy venue that lets visitors fill buckets with sweets. A separate experience focused on weddings, proposals and vow renewals is expected to debut this year.
“Here, we want you to come celebrate every day,” Ortiz said in an interview. “We wanted to open up our doors to the world and let [visitors] experience this building [through] different experiences that everyone can enjoy any time of the year … and create different New York-centric moments.”
Ortiz joined Jamestown about a year ago after spending roughly eight years at One World Observatory and decades in the hospitality industry. He said he was drawn to the project after Sherri White, the Jamestown executive who led One Times Square's redevelopment, shared her vision for the tower.
“She introduced me to this, and I fell in love,” Ortiz told CoStar News. “I needed to be part of this project and the vision to welcome the world into this space. … I love the attractions business as a New Yorker, and the ability to welcome the world to my house is a wonderful thing.”
The rollout of the attractions comes after a redevelopment of more than four years that White told CoStar in December cost $550 million. The building has been part of New Year's Eve celebrations around the world since 1907.
The 26-story tower at the intersection of 42nd Street, Broadway and Seventh Avenue was originally built as The New York Times' headquarters. By the time Jamestown, the developer behind projects including Chelsea Market, Ponce City Market and the redevelopment of Industry City, announced its overhaul plans in 2022, much of the building had stood largely vacant for decades.
During preview tours, Ortiz expected to meet travelers from overseas. Instead, many guests came — like him — from close to home.
“I was talking to guests and thinking that they were coming from England and from France and from Italy,” he said. “I got the body of water wrong. They were coming from Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, and they were overjoyed with the opportunity to come visit and get up close and personal with the ball.”