Madison Square Garden facts for kids
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MSG
The Garden The World's Most Famous Arena |
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Madison Square Garden in 2019
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 Madison Square Garden
Location in Manhattan
Madison Square Garden
Location in New York City
Madison Square Garden
Location in New York
Madison Square Garden
Location in the United States
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| Address | 4 Pennsylvania Plaza |
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| Location | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°45′2″N 73°59′37″W / 40.75056°N 73.99361°W |
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| Owner | Madison Square Garden Entertainment |
| Capacity |
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| Field size | 820,000 sq ft (76,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 29, 1964 |
| Opened |
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| Renovated |
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| Architect |
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| Structural engineer | Severud Associates |
| Services engineer | Syska & Hennessy, Inc. |
| General contractor | Turner/Del E. Webb |
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Madison Square Garden, also known as The Garden or MSG, is a world-famous indoor arena in New York City. Located in Midtown Manhattan right above Penn Station, it's a center for sports, music, and entertainment. It is the fourth building to have the name "Madison Square Garden." The first two were actually on Madison Square.
The Garden is home to the New York Rangers hockey team and the New York Knicks basketball team. It hosts everything from championship boxing and wrestling to huge concerts by the world's biggest music stars. Because of its fame and history, it is often called "The World's Most Famous Arena."
Contents
The Story of the Four Gardens
The First Three Arenas
The name "Madison Square Garden" is older than the building you see today. The first two Gardens were built near Madison Square, which was named after U.S. President James Madison.
The very first Garden opened in 1879 but had to be torn down because it had a leaky roof and unsafe balconies. The second Garden, which opened in 1890, was a beautiful building with a tall tower. But it also wasn't very successful, so it was demolished in 1925 to make way for the New York Life Building.
The third Madison Square Garden (1925-1968) was built in a new spot on Eighth Avenue. It was famous for boxing and was nicknamed "The House That Tex Built" after its promoter, Tex Rickard. This arena was torn down after the current Garden opened.
Today's World-Famous Arena
The current Madison Square Garden opened on February 11, 1968. To build it, the beautiful, old Pennsylvania Railroad Station had to be torn down. Many people were very upset about losing the historic building. Their protests led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, a group that now protects important buildings in the city.
The new Garden was an amazing piece of engineering because it was built on top of the new, underground Penn Station, which is still active today. In the 1980s, the city made a deal with the Garden. As long as the Knicks and Rangers play all their home games at MSG, the arena doesn't have to pay certain taxes.
Major Makeovers
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MSG has had two huge renovations to keep it modern. The first, in 1991, added 89 luxury suites and updated the building.
The biggest makeover happened between 2011 and 2013 and cost about $1 billion. This renovation added cool new features like:
- A huge new entrance hall called Chase Square.
- Two amazing pedestrian walkways, called the Chase Bridges, that hang from the ceiling and let fans look right down on the action.
- New, more comfortable seats.
- Bigger concourses with large windows overlooking the city.
- A new high-definition scoreboard and better lighting.
What Happens at The Garden?
Madison Square Garden hosts about 320 events every year. It is known for sports, concerts, and many other special events.
Home of New York Sports
MSG is home to two famous New York teams: the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It's the oldest arena in the NBA and the second oldest in the NHL.
The arena also hosts major college basketball tournaments, like the Big East men's basketball tournament. Boxing has a long history at the Garden, with legendary fights like the first Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier match. In recent years, it has also become a top spot for UFC events.
Pro Wrestling's Home Court
For wrestling fans, MSG is a legendary venue. It's often called the "home office" for WWE. It has hosted three WrestleMania events, including the very first one, as well as other major shows like the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam. Other wrestling companies, like New Japan Pro-Wrestling, have also held big events at the arena.
Legendary Concerts
MSG is one of the most famous music venues in the world. Almost every major music star has performed on its stage.
- Billy Joel holds the record for the most performances, with over 150 shows. He played a monthly concert there for ten years.
- Elton John has played at the Garden over 60 times and even celebrated his 60th birthday there.
- In 1973, Led Zeppelin recorded a famous concert film and album, The Song Remains the Same, at the arena.
- Other historic moments include John Lennon's last-ever concert appearance in 1974 and Elvis Presley's only New York City shows in 1972.
- In 2017, the band Phish played 13 shows in a row without repeating a single song, a series called "The Baker's Dozen."
Other Cool Events
The Garden is also used for many other events. For many years, it hosted the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the NFL draft, and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Many local universities, like New York University and St. John's University, hold their graduation ceremonies at the arena.
In 1939, before World War II, a rally sponsored by the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group, was held at the Garden. Over 20,000 people attended the event, which was presented as a "Pro-American" rally.
Awards and Honors
The Garden honors the amazing athletes and performers who have made history there. The Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame includes sports legends and music stars like Elton John and The Rolling Stones. The walkway into the arena is called the Walk of Fame, where famous people are recognized with a special plaque for their incredible achievements at the venue.
The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Inside the main building is a smaller venue called The Theater at Madison Square Garden. It seats between 2,000 and 5,600 people. It is used for concerts, stage shows, graduation ceremonies, and sometimes boxing matches. For many years, it was the home of the NBA draft and the NFL draft.
Capacity
The number of seats in Madison Square Garden changes depending on the event.
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How to Get There
Madison Square Garden is easy to get to because it sits on top of New York Penn Station. This major station serves Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, and Amtrak trains. The Garden is also connected to the New York City Subway system.
Images for kids
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Eric Clapton at the Garden in 2015; Clapton has played 45 concerts at the venue since 1968.
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Getting the arena ready for a basketball game in 2005
See also
In Spanish: Madison Square Garden para niños
