Boardwalk Hall facts for kids

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Boardwalk Hall
Tenants

Boardwalk Hall in 2014
Former names	Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall
Location	2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Public transit	NJ Transit bus: 505, 507, 508, 509 (at Atlantic Avenue)
Owner	Casino Reinvestment Development Authority
Operator	Spectra
Capacity	10,500
Opened	1929
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)
Website


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.
Architectural style	Romanesque revival
NRHP reference No.	87000814
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 27, 1987
Designated NHL	February 27, 1987

Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall is a famous indoor arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It used to be called the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall. This huge building was constructed between 1926 and 1929.

For many years, it was Atlantic City's main place for big meetings and events. In 1987, it was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important historical building.

Boardwalk Hall can hold 10,500 people for ice hockey games. For concerts, it can fit up to 14,770 people. It's also the home of the Miss America Pageant.

Inside Boardwalk Hall, you'll find the world's largest musical instrument. It's a giant pipe organ with over 33,000 pipes! Some of its pipes are incredibly loud. The Guinness Book of World Records once said one pipe makes a sound "six times louder than the loudest train whistle." But because the hall is so big, the sound isn't too overwhelming.

In 2018, New Jersey decided to rename the hall to honor Jim Whelan. He was a former mayor and state senator who passed away in 2017.

Building History and Design

How Boardwalk Hall Was Built

Edward L. Bader, who was the mayor of Atlantic City, started the plan to build this hall. Construction began in 1926 and finished in 1929. The architectural firm Lockwood Greene designed the building.

Amazing Architecture of the Hall

The main hall is very large, measuring 456 feet by 310 feet. Its barrel vault ceiling is 137 feet high. This ceiling is special because it has no support columns. Instead, ten pairs of huge steel arches hold it up. Each arch pair is 350 feet long and weighs 220 tons.

The ceiling is covered with painted aluminum tiles. They look like Roman bath tiles and cover a huge area. The front of the building is angled to match the boardwalk. However, the main hall lines up with the city streets.

The Organ's Special Location

Sound takes about 0.4 seconds to travel across the hall. Because of this, parts of the pipe organ had to be placed carefully. Two of the organ's sound rooms are in the upper part of the building. They are located between the outer roof and the inner ceiling. This helps prevent any sound delays.

Modern Updates and Renovations

In 2001, Boardwalk Hall had a big renovation that cost $90 million. The project won several awards for its design. Sadly, the hall's giant organ was badly damaged during this renovation.

Exciting Events and Shows

Miss America and Political Gatherings

Boardwalk Hall in 1992

The Miss America Pageant has a long history with Boardwalk Hall. It was held there from 1940 to 2004. The pageant returned in 2013 and was last held there for Miss America 2019.

In August 1964, the hall hosted the 1964 Democratic National Convention. This is where U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson was chosen as the candidate for president.

Famous Concerts and Performers

Many famous musicians have performed at Boardwalk Hall.

Just after the 1964 convention, The Beatles played one of their biggest concerts there.
Judy Garland gave two concerts in 1961.
The Rolling Stones performed in 1989 during their Steel Wheels Tour. This concert was also shown on TV.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a sold-out show in 2003. Springsteen returned for a solo show in 2005.
In 2003, a show with Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera was postponed. This happened because of a stage collapse.
Bon Jovi performed in 2006.
Celine Dion had sold-out shows in 2008 and 2020.
The band Phish played three Halloween concerts in 2010 and 2013. They even debuted new music there.
Jennifer Lopez performed a sold-out show in 2012.
Madonna has performed at the venue four times, with sold-out shows in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2015.
Britney Spears performed sold-out shows in 2001 and 2011.
Lady Gaga performed in 2010, 2011, and 2014. A 2013 show was canceled due to an injury.
Beyoncé had a sold-out show in 2013.
Journey and Rascal Flatts have also performed there.
The Who stopped at the Hall in 2015 for their 50th anniversary tour.
Twenty One Pilots performed in 2019.
In 2023, Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillat performed.

Graduation Ceremonies

Stockton University uses Boardwalk Hall for its graduation ceremonies every May.

Exciting Pro Wrestling Events

WrestleMania and Other WWE Shows

The Hall has hosted major wrestling events. It held World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania IV in 1988 and V in 1989. On TV, it was called "Trump Plaza" because of a sponsorship. These events had huge crowds of over 18,000 fans.

Many other WWE shows have taken place here. These include Raw, SmackDown, and ECW.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Events

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) also held shows at Boardwalk Hall. They hosted an episode of AEW Dynamite in February 2022. An episode of AEW Rampage was also filmed there.

Thrilling Sporting Events

Famous Boxing Matches

Mike Tyson knocks down Tyrell Biggs in 1987

Boardwalk Hall has seen many famous boxing matches. Mike Tyson fought there several times as the Heavyweight champion. He won against Larry Holmes in 1988. His most famous fight there was a quick 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988.

Other legendary boxers who fought at the hall include Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, and Floyd Mayweather Jr..

Indoor Soccer History

On December 12, 1965, the first official indoor soccer match was played at the hall. The New York Ukrainians beat the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 3–2.

College Football Games Indoors

The nation's first indoor American football field was built in the hall in 1930. It hosted games for several years.

The Liberty Bowl

In 1964, the Liberty Bowl college football game moved to Boardwalk Hall. This was the first major college bowl game played indoors. It was also the first indoor football game shown on TV across the U.S.

To play on grass indoors, a four-inch-thick grass field was laid over concrete. Special lights were kept on 24 hours a day to help the grass grow. The Utah Utes beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 32–6. This was the only time the Liberty Bowl was played in Atlantic City.

Other College Bowl Games

Boardwalk Hall also hosted the Boardwalk Bowl from 1961 to 1973. It was known as the "Little Army-Navy Game" for some years. The Knute Rockne Bowl was also held there from 1970 to 1972.

Indoor and Arena Football

In 2004, the Atlantic City CardSharks indoor football team played their home games here. In 2015, the hall hosted its first Arena Football League (AFL) game. In 2019, the Atlantic City Blackjacks AFL team played their home games at Boardwalk Hall.

Basketball Games

The Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia Warriors played a regular season game here in 1949. From 2007 to 2012, the Atlantic 10 Conference held its men's basketball championship at the hall. The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers played a preseason game in 2012.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) will hold its men's and women's basketball tournaments at Boardwalk Hall from 2020 to 2022.

Date	Opponent	Score	Home	Game type	Attendance
December 29, 1949	Syracuse Nationals	64–62	Philadelphia Warriors	RS	1,229
October 13, 2012	Brooklyn Nets	108–105	Philadelphia 76ers	PS	6,887

Ice Hockey Events

Boardwalk Hall was home to the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies ice hockey team from 2001 to 2005. The ECAC Hockey men's championship was held here from 2011 to 2013.

The Albany Devils and Trenton Devils (both linked to the New Jersey Devils) played some home games here. In 2012, the American Hockey League hosted its All-Star Classic at the hall. In November 2012, a charity hockey game called "Operation Hat Trick" was held to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Other Sports and Competitions

View of Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall and ocean, 2011

In 1995, the hall hosted Monica Seles's return to tennis. She won against Martina Navratilova.
In 1996, the U.S. women's tennis team beat Spain in the Fed Cup here.
The PBR held bull riding events in 2003 and 2018.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association holds its annual state wrestling tournament here.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has held five events at the hall. The most recent was in 2024.
The 2005 Skate America figure skating competition took place here.
Midget car racing events have been held at Boardwalk Hall since 1938.

The Amazing Pipe Organs

The World's Largest Organ

The Main Auditorium Organ is truly special. It was built between 1929 and 1932. This "Poseidon" Midmer-Losh pipe organ is the world's largest, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. It has about 33,112 pipes!

This huge instrument needs powerful blowers to work. The organ was damaged by a hurricane in 1944. It was also made unplayable during the 2001 renovation. Since 2007, a restoration program has been working to fix it. As of 2024, about 60% of the organ is working again.

The Ballroom Organ

Boardwalk Hall also has another large pipe organ in its ballroom. This 55-rank Kimball organ was originally used to play music for silent movies. It was also damaged during the hall's renovation. Even though it's smaller than the main organ, it's still one of the biggest theater organs ever built.

Restoration Efforts

A group called the Historic Organ Restoration Committee is working to fix both organs. They are raising money to bring these amazing instruments back to full life. They hope to finish the restoration by 2030.

Awards and Recognition

Boardwalk Hall is one of the few buildings left from Atlantic City's golden age in the 1920s. It was a huge success in engineering and architecture. At the time, its convention space was the largest indoor area with an unobstructed view.

It was recognized as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983. In 1987, it became a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

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