{"value"=>"<p>These files were created and maintained by Tama Starr in her capacity as president of Artkraft Strauss, and represent jobs and special projects managed directly by Starr, including the 42nd Street Development Project, the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square, and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Artkraft Strauss in conjunction with an exhibit on the history of Times Square's iconic signage at the New-York Historical Society. Subseries: I.A. Project Files; I.B. 42nd Street Development Project; I.C. Times Square; I.D. New Year's Eve; I. E. Signs and Wonders.</p> <p>Project files consist predominantly of correspondence with clients, vendors, and city agencies relating to jobs and special projects. Included are internal memoranda and meeting notes; bid applications; project proposals; cost studies and related research; as well as drafts of contracts, license agreements, leases, and other legal instruments. These files also document activity at locations in New York City, particularly in the Times Square vicinity, where Artkraft Strauss erected or maintained signage and spectaculars.</p> <p>Times Square files contain material regarding the history and development of Times Square, as well as practical information concerning business operations in the area. Included here are files relating to Artkraft Strauss' participation in the 42nd Street Development Project, a redevelopment initiative establishing a 13-acre renewal site along 42nd Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Additional items pertaining to Times Square and specific signs located in Times Square are located in Series III: Job Files.</p> <p>Artkraft Strauss is closely identified not only with Times Square, but with the New Year's Eve ball lowering at One Times Square, which Benjamin Strauss and Jacob Starr originated in 1907. New Year's Eve files contain photographs, press releases, publicity files, and other documentation of annual celebrations in Times Square between 1982 and 1999. No material relating to earlier events is present in this series, though some photographs of ball lowerings in the 1950s are present in Series VII, Photographs.</p> <p>Signs and Wonders files relate to an exhibit hosted by the New-York Historical Society, ''Signs and Wonders: The Spectacular Lights of Times Square.\" The exhibit, which featured many of Artkraft's famous signs, coincided with the 100th anniversary of Artkraft Strauss. A companion book written by Tama Starr and Edward Hayman was published by Anchor Press in 1998.</p>"}