Boardwalk Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Boardwalk Hall

Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall in 1992
Former names	Convention Hall
Location	2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Public transit	NJ Transit bus: 505, 507, 508, 509 (at Atlantic Avenue)
Operator	Spectra
Capacity	10,500
Opened	1929
Tenants
Liberty Bowl (NCAA) (1964) Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (ECHL) (2001–2005) Atlantic City CardSharks (NIFL) (2004) Albany Devils (AHL) (2010–2014) (Alternate venue) Atlantic City Blackjacks (AFL) (2019)
Boardwalk Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location in Atlantic County, New Jersey
Built	1926
Architect	Lockwood, Greene & Co.
NRHP reference No.	87000814
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 27, 1987
Designated NHL	February 27, 1987

Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, once known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a huge building in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It's a famous place where many exciting events happen. It was the main convention center in Atlantic City until 1997.

Boardwalk Hall is special because it's one of the few old buildings left from when Atlantic City was a super popular beach resort. It was even named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987. The hall can hold over 10,000 people for ice hockey games and nearly 15,000 for concerts! It's also the long-time home of the Miss America Pageant.

In 2017, the hall was named after Jim Whelan, a former mayor and state lawmaker who had recently passed away.

History of Boardwalk Hall

Edward L. Bader, who was the mayor of Atlantic City from 1924 to 1929, helped get the land for this amazing building. Construction started while he was still mayor. The hall was designed by the company Lockwood Greene and finished in 1926.

The main part of the hall is really big, about 456 feet long and 310 feet wide. The ceiling is super high, reaching 137 feet! It's supported by strong steel beams that stretch 350 feet across without any columns in the way. This design allows the building to move a little with wind or ground pressure. The ceiling is made of painted aluminum tiles and looks like old Roman bath tiles. It covers a huge area, more than 196,000 square feet!

The World's Largest Organ

Boardwalk Hall is home to the world's largest musical instrument: a giant pipe organ. This organ has over 33,000 pipes and eight special rooms just for its parts! Its main control panel has seven keyboards and more than 1,000 buttons to control the sounds. It even has two rare 64-foot pipes, which are incredibly deep.

One of its most famous pipes, the Grand Ophicleide, operates on very high air pressure. The Guinness Book of World Records says it makes a sound six times louder than a train whistle! But don't worry, the hall is so big that these loud sounds blend in perfectly and don't hurt your ears.

Sadly, the organ was damaged during renovations in 2001. But a special group called Boardwalk Pipes started working in 2007 to fix it. They hope to have it fully working again soon!

There's also another large pipe organ in the hall's ballroom. It's a Kimball concert/theater organ that was originally used for silent movies. Even though it looks small next to the main organ, it's one of the biggest theater organs ever built!

Exciting Events and Shows

Boardwalk Hall in September 2014

Boardwalk Hall has hosted many famous events and performances over the years.

Miss America Pageant

The Miss America Pageant started in Atlantic City in 1921. It used Boardwalk Hall from 1940 until 2006, and then returned in 2013. The pageant was last held here in 2019.

Concerts and Famous Performers

Many legendary musicians have played at Boardwalk Hall:

• In 1964, The Beatles held one of their biggest concerts here during their first U.S. tour.
• Judy Garland performed concerts in 1961.
• The Rolling Stones had a concert here in 1989 as part of their Steel Wheels Tour. This show was even released on DVD and Blu-Ray!
• Bruce Springsteen has played several sold-out shows at the hall.
• Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were supposed to perform in 2003, but their show was postponed due to a stage problem.
• Bon Jovi played a concert in 2006.
• The band Phish played special Halloween concerts in 2010 and 2013.
• Jennifer Lopez performed a sold-out show in 2012.
• Madonna has performed at the venue four times, with many sold-out shows.
• Britney Spears had sold-out shows in 2001 and 2011.
• Lady Gaga has performed multiple times, including a sold-out show in 2014.
• Beyoncé performed a sold-out show in 2013.
• Journey and Rascal Flatts have also performed here.
• The Who stopped at the hall in 2015 for their 50th anniversary tour.
• Twenty One Pilots performed here in 2019.

Sports Events

Boardwalk Hall has been a major spot for many different sports.

Boxing

Many famous boxers have fought at Boardwalk Hall. Mike Tyson had several important fights here, including his quick knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988. Other boxing legends like Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have also competed in the hall.

Soccer

In 1965, the first indoor soccer match was played here, with the New York Ukrainians winning against the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals.

College Football

Boardwalk Hall even hosted college football bowl games!

• The Liberty Bowl was played here in 1964. It was the first major college bowl game played indoors and the first to be shown on TV across the U.S. They even put a real grass field inside the hall! The Utah Utes beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 32–6.
• The Boardwalk Bowl was also held here from 1961 to 1973, featuring college teams.

Indoor and Arena Football

The hall was home to the Atlantic City CardSharks indoor football team in 2004. In 2015, it hosted its first Arena Football League (AFL) game. In 2019, the Atlantic City Blackjacks became the home team, but the league stopped operating that year.

Basketball

• The Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia Warriors played a regular season game here in 1949.
• The Atlantic 10 Conference held its men's basketball championship at Boardwalk Hall from 2007 to 2012.
• The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers played a preseason game here in 2012.
• The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference plans to hold its men's and women's basketball tournaments here from 2020 to 2022.

Ice Hockey

• The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies ice hockey team played here from 2001 to 2005.
• From 2011 to 2013, ECAC Hockey held its men's ice hockey championship at the hall.
• The Albany Devils and Trenton Devils (teams linked to the New Jersey Devils) played some home games here.
• In 2012, the American Hockey League hosted its All-Star Classic at Boardwalk Hall.
• A charity hockey game called "Operation Hat Trick" was held here in 2012 to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. Many NHL players participated.

Other Sporting Events

View of Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall and ocean, 2011

• In 1995, Monica Seles made her return to tennis here after an injury.
• The U.S. women's tennis team played and won a Fed Cup match here in 1996.
• The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held its huge WrestleMania IV and V events here in 1988 and 1989. It's the only place to host WrestleMania two years in a row!
• The PBR (bull riding) has held events at the hall.
• The New Jersey State wrestling tournament is held here every year.
• The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has held several mixed martial arts events here.
• The Skate America figure skating competition was held here in 2005.
• Midget car racing events have been held at Boardwalk Hall since 1938.

Restoration and Awards

A big renovation of Boardwalk Hall was finished in 2001, costing $90 million. This project won several awards, including the 2003 National Preservation Award.

The hall is recognized as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and a U.S. National Historic Landmark because of its amazing design and engineering. It was the largest indoor space with an unobstructed view when it was built.

Billboard magazine named Boardwalk Hall the top-earning mid-sized arena in the U.S. in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, a famous boxing match between Gatti and Ward, named The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year, was held at the hall.

Images for kids

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  Boardwalk Hall in 1992