victory in that day's presidential election. The zipper was used to display other major news headlines of the era, and its content later expanded to include sports and weather updates as well. During the 1940s, the building's basement contained a shooting range occupied by the Forty-third Street Rifle Club. Due to restrictions imposed during World War II, the Times Tower's zipper was powered down in May 1942, marking the first time since its installation that the zipper had shut down. The tower's lights were darkened for the same reason. Consequently, the 1942 New York state election was the first since 1904 for which the tower's lights did not broadcast any election results. The Times reactivated the building's zipper in October 1943, but, less than two weeks later, the sign was again deactivated to reduce electricity usage. The sign operated intermittently until the end of World War II, when it again ran continuously. On the evening of August 14, 1945, the building's zipper announced Japan's surrender in World War II to a packed crowd in Times Square. Ahead of the 1952 United States presidential election, the Times temporarily installed a electronic sign on the 4th through 11th stories of the northern facade, displaying each candidate's electoral vote count. The sign was reinstalled on the Times Tower during the 1956 United States presidential election. The tower's ball was also replaced after the 1954–1955 celebrations. The New York Community Trust installed a plaque outside the building in 1957, designating it as a point of interest and an unofficial "landmark". Leigh and Allied Chemical ownership The Times sold the building to advertising executive and sign designer Douglas Leigh in 1961. According to The Wall Street Journal, Leigh had attempted to purchase the Times Tower for 25 years before he succeeded. At the time, there were 110 tenants in the building; the Times only operated the zipper as well as a classified advertising office at ground level. Leigh had planned to construct an exhibition hall within the building. One of the Times Tower's subbasement levels caught fire in November 1961, killing three people and injuring 24 others; investigators later determined that the fire had been caused by "careless smoking". The building's zipper was deactivated in December 1962 due to the 1962–1963 New York City newspaper strike, and it did not operate for more than two years. Leigh sold the building in April 1963 to Allied