The most famous empty building in Times Square threw its doors wide open late last year, and now, it’s completely covered in sugar. 👀
For decades, the globally recognized One Times Square tower acted as little more than a hollow monument that held up glowing billboards and dropped the iconic New Year’s Eve ball.
Now, that historic landmark has been reborn, and inside it sits a colossal, four-story candy wonderland known as iCandy NYC, and it is exactly the kind of over-the-top escape New Yorkers are obsessing over this summer.
Here is a look inside the massive transformation that continues to be the city’s sweetest playground.
A hollow historic landmark gets a $500 million upgrade…and now a massive sugar rush
To truly appreciate the sheer scale of this makeover, you have to look at the wild history of One Times Square.
The building originally opened way back in 1904 as the headquarters for The New York Times, which is actually how the neighborhood got its name!
However, by the 1960s, the building was sold and the ornate facade was stripped away.
Because it was too expensive to refurbish the inside, the upper floors were left completely empty. Owners quickly realized the building could generate millions just by renting out exterior advertising space, turning it into the world’s most lucrative, hollow billboard tower.
That all changed when developer Jamestown launched a massive $500 million redevelopment project to finally breathe life back into the interior. Now, those famously vacant floors have been completely taken over by a multi-sensory dreamland that perfectly blends iconic New York City history with jaw-dropping amounts of candy.
It takes everything you love about a whimsical funhouse and scales it up to colossal proportions inside a globally famous structure.
What to expect inside the candy-coated universe
With four highly interactive and totally distinct thematic floors, the programming here is absolutely stacked.
The entire space is meticulously designed to hit all five senses, meaning you are walking through elaborate, touchable sets rather than just staring at a static exhibit. When you first enter iCandy NYC, you are handed a signature bucket that doubles as your treasure map for the day.
As you ascend through the historic building, you get to explore totally wild, edible reimagining of the five boroughs.
Expect to discover a sugary version of Central Park and vibrant neighborhood setups that act like a giant interactive scavenger hunt. The experience brilliantly blends tactile play with sweet rewards as your container slowly fills up with treats collected at hidden candy stations along the way.
You even get to learn rare nuggets of NYC history as you bounce between the different games and immersive rooms.
How to grab tickets to the ultimate sweet escape
The magical journey wraps up on the top floor inside a sprawling specialty store appropriately named The Candy Shop.
Here, you can stock up on exclusive sweets before stepping back out into the bustling summer streets of Manhattan.
Tickets to the iCandy NYC immersive experience are still highly sought after, with passes flying fast for weekend slots. T
he recommended time to spend inside is about 60 to 90 minutes, making it the perfect bite-sized escape from reality!
📍 One Times Square (1475 Broadway)
