The Times Square Consortium home page has a nice article contrasting the famous mid-century Times Square NYC Walgreens store which closed in 1970 with the spectacular one that opened this week.

Times Square has changed many, many times in my lifetime. I grew up in the NYC area (born in NYC) and spent a great deal of time in the grimy center of NYC– the carny-like playland outside of the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

So many brands, both retail and industrial, have been erased from that era. Whelan Drugs, as an example. Horn & Hardardt Automats. Child’s Restaurants. For a while, at least in NYC, Walgreens was a forgotten name, despite its cultural presence in timeless Times Square photos.

Now its back, in a big way. The biggest part is its signage, a coordinated three side display– the largest synchronized sign of its kind in the world.

For a 3D tour of the signage as envisioned by its designer, see below.

For a look at the Walgreens of the past, see the video below.