Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Wednesday, May 5, 1999

Release #161 -99

Contact: Sunny Mindel/Jennifer Chait (212) 788-2958
Scott Novak (Dan Klores) (212) 685-4300


MAYOR GIULIANI, DISNEY AND ESPN ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR ESPN ZONE

- 42,000 Sq. Foot Flagship Sports-Themed Restaurant and Entertainment Complex in Times Square Will Create 400 Permanent Jobs --

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Hall-of-Famer Joe Namath, Disney Regional Entertainment President Art Levitt and ESPN President George Bodenheimer today announced plans for ESPN Zone in New York - a 42,000 square-foot sports dining and entertainment complex to be located in the heart of Times Square at 42nd Street and Broadway. The opening of the flagship complex, scheduled for late Summer, will add 400 permanent jobs and another new attraction to the revitalized Times Square area. Today's announcement was held at the nearby Manhattan Center while construction continues at the 4 Times Square location.

The state-of-the-art complex will be larger than both the Baltimore and Chicago complexes, and has been designed on three floors for a complete "sports fan's paradise" in one entertainment complex. Each floors will contain a separate theme: the Studio Grill will offer top-quality food items; the Screening Room will feature dozens of monitors and state-of-the-art technology enabling visitors to watch televised national and international sporting events; and the Sports Arena will offer New Yorkers a variety of interactive and competitive games developed exclusively for ESPN Zone. This is one of many businesses that have opened in the New Times Square area since the City began its efforts to revitalize the area.

"New York City is the Sports Capital of the World and I can think of no better place to open ESPN Zone than in Times Square -- the Crossroads of the World," Mayor Giuliani said. "The opening of the flagship ESPN Zone is another example of the continued revitalization of Times Square. Last year, more than 34 million visitors came to New York City - a new record - and New York is cleaner and safer than it has been in decades. In 1997, Times Square alone attracted 20 million visitors who spent $3.6 billion. We have seen the return of investment and the opening of new businesses in the area including Disney's New Amsterdam Theater, the New Victory Theater and Madame Tussaud's. With the opening of ESPN Zone, Times Square continues to build on its reputation for excitement, electricity and energy."

"This state-of-the-art sports dining and entertainment complex will give the greatest sports fans in the world and visitors to the Apple a great place to watch The World Champion New York Yankees play or to keep score of - possibly even at the same time -- a Mets or Rangers game on one of its many screens. I want to thank the Disney organization for its continued investment in New York City and for helping to make Times Square a place that New Yorkers and tourists alike can visit once again," the Mayor concluded.

Art Levitt, Disney Regional Entertainment President, said, "We are thrilled to open ESPN Zone in the Sports Capital of the World. The New York facility will be our flagship location and a place where local sports fans can share their passion for New York sports and great food."

George Bodenheimer, President of ESPN, said, "ESPN Zone provides the quintessential three-dimensional experience for ESPN fans. It is fitting that we are celebrating our 20th anniversary of the ESPN Network by opening on Broadway."

ESPN Zone will be located at 4 Times Square at the northeast corner of 42nd Street and Broadway in the development owned by the Durst Organization. ESPN launched its first complex in Baltimore's Inner Harbor in July 1998 and plans to open an additional venue in Chicago on July 10th. The New York facility is the largest site to date and the flagship location for ESPN Zone. As part of today's announcement, the Mayor was presented with a "sports kebab" - ESPN's signature key -- to enter the ESPN Zone.

With more than 200 video monitors, the flagship facility will feature a triplex design with three separate themes. One floor, the Studio Grill, recreates the atmosphere of ESPN Studios and offers a 70-item menu. It will feature replica studio sets from ESPN's SportsCenter - NBA 2Night and NHL 2Night. A second floor - the Screening Room - will provide televised sporting events from around the world. This section will offer state-of-the-art technology, multi-game viewing, direct audio control for all televised games, statistical updates by the minute and a dozen 36-inch video monitors. In addition, this area will feature individual skyboxes for private dining and remote broadcasting capabilities. A third floor - the Sports Arena - will feature 10,000 feet of interactive and proprietary sports games developed exclusively for ESPN Zone in which over 200 fans can compete simultaneously.

Showcasing New York City, the ESPN Zone décor will feature more than 30 one-of-a kind sports art displays created exclusively by more than a dozen local artists. In addition, video monitors throughout ESPN Zone will replay some of the most memorable moments and classic games in New York City sports history.

From 1993 to 1998 crime in the Times Square area dropped 51 percent and the declines have continued into this year. The Disney Company, Morgan Stanley, Madame Tussaud's, Reuters, Conde Nast, and the Durst Company are just a few of the companies that have made major investments in the New Times Square. In addition, the entertainment project E-Walk, -- a 200,000 square foot entertainment and retail complex -- is slated to open in just a few months. The mammoth facility will house a 13-screen, 3,500-seat Sony movie theatre as well as an 850-room hotel/convention center, which is scheduled to begin construction next year.

ESPN Zone was developed by Disney Regional Entertainment, which creates breakthrough entertainment concepts for metropolitan and suburban markets worldwide.

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