Madison Square Garden IV som det ser ud i dag (2004).
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden er et stort sports- og underholdningskompleks midt i New York, som er opkaldt efter pladsen, hvor arenaen oprindelig var placeret: Madison Square (pladsen er i sin tur opkaldt efter USA's fjerde præsident, James Madison, 1751-1836). På dette sted er der gennem tiderne afviklet et utal af arrangementer såsom cykling, boksning, musik, cirkus, hundeudstilling, Demokraternes partikonvent og meget mere.
Madison Square Garden har ligget 4 forskellige steder i sin mere end 100-årige historie. De to første adresser var omkring Madison Square, derfor navnet Madison Square Garden - også kaldet "The Garden" eller forkortet MSG.
Madison Square Garden I, 1879-1890
The site of the first Madison Square Garden, now known as Madison Square Garden I, was formerly the passenger depot at 26th and Madison Avenue of the New York and Harlem Railroad. When the depot was moved to the current site of Grand Central Terminal in 1871, the depot was sold to P.T. Barnum and converted into a hippodrome called "Barnum's Monster Classical and Geological Hippodrome." In 1876 it was renamed "Gilmore's Garden" in honor of Patrick S. Gilmore, America's most well-known bandmaster at the time. Gilmore's most famous composition was "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." Gilmore's Garden was an open air arena.I 1899 blev baneløb over 6 dage forbudt af sundhedsmæssige hensyn; der var for mange ryttere som ikke kunne klare mosten, og derigennem kom til skade på forskellige måder. Til gengæld fandt en geschäfig person på at sammensætte rytterne til par, som ved at skiftes til at sidde på cyklen, kunne kæmpe sig gennem 6 dages uafbrudt kørsel. Det var her på Madison Square Garden I at verdens første parløb blev kørt i 1899. Siden da har parløb været benævnt "Madison" i de engelsktalende lande (og "Americaine" i Frankrig for at gøre sagen komplet).
William Henry Vanderbilt officially renamed Gilmore's Garden "Madison Square Garden" and reopened the facility to the public on May 30, 1879 at 26th Street and Madison Avenue. The first arena was originally built for the sport of track cycling, which is still remembered in the name of the Madison event.
Madison Square Garden II, 1890-1925
When it was designed by Sanford White, the Second Madison Square Garden was the second tallest building in New York City and had the largest auditorium (seating 8,000) in the United States. It houses a theater, concert hall, apartments, a roof garden, and the city's largest restaurant. It played host to all sorts of entertainment events, and was particularly successful because of the popularity of the sport of boxing in that day. In 1925 it was razed to make way for the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company.
Madison Square Garden, 1924
Madison Square Garden III, 1925-1968
The third garden, now known as Madison Square Garden III, was built on 50th Street and Eighth Avenue by boxing promoter Tex Rickard and was dubbed "The House That Tex Built." The New York Rangers got their name in a wordplay on Tex's name (e.g., Tex's Rangers). It was built in 249 days on the site of the city's street car barns.
In 1928 Rickard built "Boston Madison Square Garden." The name got clipped to Boston Garden.
Boxing was Madison Square Garden III's principal claim to fame. The building exterior in contrast to the ornate towers of the first two Garden was a simple box. Its most unique feature was its ornate marquee. On January 17, 1941 23,190 people witnessed Fritzie Zivic successful welterweight defense against Henry Armstrong. That is the biggest attendance record of any of the Gardens. MSG III was featured prominently in the 2005 Ron Howard film Cinderella Man (although exterior montage shots glorified it by placing it against the Times Square signs on Broadway when it was in fact one block west).
It hosted the only indoor bout in the career of Jack Dempsey. It cost $4.75 million to build; this one hosted seven NCAA men's basketball championships between 1943 and 1950. It also hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1954 and 1955. When it was torn down, there was a proposal to build the world's tallest building on its site prompting a major battle in its Hell's Kitchen neighborhood that ultimately resulted in strict height restrictions. The space remained a parking lot though until 1989 when Worldwide Plaza designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill opened.
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When colorful New York boxing promoter George (Tex) Rickard discovered in 1924 that the old Madison Square Garden was to be razed to make way for a skyscraper, he assembled a team of businessmen he called his "600 millionaires," set up financing, and broke ground for a new Madison Square Garden on January 9, 1925 on a new location. The site selected for the third Garden was Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. Existing trolley car barns were torn down to make room for the new arena, which was constructed in only 249 days.
Madison Square Garden III was 200 feet by 375 feet. It had three tiers of seats and could seat 18,500 for boxing. The first event was, however, a six-day bicycle race which began on November 24, 1925. On December 6, the first professional basketball game was played in Madison Square Garden III with the original Celtics defeating the Washington Palace Five 35-31.
On December 8, the first boxing match at the new Garden saw flyweight champion Jack McDermott upset by Johnny Erickson. On December 11, 17,575 fans paid to see Paul Berlenbach out-point Jack Delaney and retain his light-heavyweight title.
The official opening of Garden III was December 15, when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Americans 3-1. For the record, the first goal ever scored in the Garden came off the stick of New York American winger Frank Boucher. After travelling to Montreal with Damon Runyon to watch the flamboyantly talented Howie Morenz and his Montreal Canadiens raise the game of ice hockey to the sublime, Rickard was convinced New Yorkers would embrace the fast, rugged sport and installed ice in his building. He rented the rink to the New York Americans for a season and, after seeing their popularity swell, realized New York could support two teams and hired young Conn Symthe to create a rival to the Americans. On November 17, 1926, the New York Rangers won their first game in the Garden by defeating the Montreal Maroons 1-0, and another hockey dynasty was born.
Under the leadership of Rickard and, later General John Reed Kilpatrick, Ned Irish and Irving Mitchell Felt, the Garden steadily increased in stature and built its reputation as the most famous and most exciting arena in the world.
Appearing in Madison Square Garden was considered so important that many star athletes suffered what came to be known as "Garden-itis," the sports equivalent of stage fright. Among the highlights in the 40-year life span of Garden III were the appearance in the Finnish-American A.C. Games on January 6, 1925 of Paavo Nurmi, winner of five Olympic gold medals; the debut of the New York Rangers, who defeated the Montreal Maroons, 1-0, on November 17, 1926; and a 1932 rally for Democratic Presidential nominee Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which drew 22,000. The future President's appearance at the Garden continued a tradition begun in 1892 by Grover Cleveland and followed by virtually every presidential candidate since.
Other Garden III landmark events included the first college basketball doubleheader on December 29, 1934; the first National Invitational Tournament in 1938; Sonia Henie's Hollywood Ice Review attended by more than 15,000 in 1938; Gene Autry and the rodeo, which attracted nearly 13,000 spectators in 1940; the Garden debut of the Knicks in 1946; Mike Todd's legendary "Around the World in 80 Days" anniversary party on October 17, 1957, (with Marilyn Monroe riding an elephant and Elizabeth Taylor hosting) and President John F. Kennedy's birthday party in May 1962.
On April 3, 1999 Tom Saboy wrote: Another promonent tenant of MSG 50th & 8th was the NEW YORK ROVERS. They played on Sunday afternoons. The Rangers always played on Sunday/Wedesday night.. At that time the hometeam wore the dark jerseys, visitors white. Tuesday & Thursday were college basketball (doubleheaders). Friday was the FIGHTS. The Knicks played Saturday night and at the 69th regiment armory if there was an important college basketball game. Important local teams included NYU (Barry Kramer), LIU (Sherman White), St John's (Zeke Zwalick), Seton Hall (Walter Dukes/Rickie Regen), Manhatten,(Julius Kellog) and CCNY (NIT/NCAA) , Important visitors included Holy Cross, Niagra, Duquene, Syacuse, Kentucky, Kansas, and one year "RIO GRAND" with star center BEVO FRANCIS !!!
Unlike the current garden the seats were right on top of the action wether you were in the lower stans, mezz or the "Balcony". Also unlike the current garden it was affordable!!!
Ikke mindre interessant er det, at cykelhistoriens hårdeste parløb blev kørt på Madison Square Garden III i 1935:
Endelig i Madison Square Garden
Og så var Kilian-Vopel ved deres drømmes mål: et engagement til det seksdagesløb, der stadig stod som det rigtigste og største af alle, det i Madison Square Garden i New York. Kun et par uger efter Chicago skulle der køres i New York, og selv om der med Schön, Pützfeld og Hürtgen allerede var tre tyskere i feltet, mente Chapman ikke at kunne undvære vinderne fra Chicago.
Allerede den første aften var stemningen og forventningerne store, næsten halvdelen af tilskuerne var af tysk afstamning, aldrig før havde et rent tysk par haft sejrschancer i New York, og man skulle helt tilbage til 1912 for at finde den sidste tyske sejrherre, det var Walter Rütt, »The Bearcat«, der dengang havde vundet med amerikaneren Joe Fogler. Og for at gøre det hele endnu mere tysk, var det selveste sværvægtschampionen Max Schmeling, der skød startskuddet.
Med 18 par på den korte 166 meter bane var det svært at begå sig, og den store Kilian styrtede ikke mindre end 16 gange. Og atter måtte tyskerne finde sig i at have kommissærerne med sportsleder Frank Kramer i spidsen imod sig, og på ny regnede bøderne ned over dem, men med en gage på nu 175 $ pr. dag var der råd til at betale dem. Og de to venner fik lov at opleve den igen ganske særlige stemning ved New Yorker seksdagesløbet, hvor der er liv døgnet igennem. Fra tidligt på dagen bringer de mange italienske tilskuere liv på tilskuerpladserne, og de er ikke til at drive væk, når eftermiddagens jagter og spurter er overstået. De har forsynet sig rigeligt med brød, vin og kvinder og gør seksdagesløbet til en folkefest. Om aftenen underholder syv jazzorkestre, og der er liv natten igennem, når der er blevet stille på Broadway og når Metropolitan Operaen har lukket de sidste gæster ud. Wallstreetbosserne udsætter kæmpepræmier i spurterne, og Sonia Henie, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. m.fl. lader sig se på tilskuerpladserne.
Jernhårdt er løbet også: ikke noget med at køre på det grønne fortov, der afspærres med sandsække, og turistcykel med opadbøjet styr og bred sadel i neutralisationsperioderne kendes ikke. l sin erindringsbog »Allein ist man nichts - als Mannschaft alles« (alene er man intet - som hold alt) har Gustav Kilian om dette seksdagesløb i New York 1935 skrevet, at det var det hårdeste, men også det smukkeste i hans karriere - og sejren, som han og Vopel vandt, samtidig den største, de opnåede sammen.
Da de seks døgn var forbi, havde feltet tilbagelagt en distance af 4.086,2 km, og Kilian-Vopel havde i finalen besejret to af verdens absolut bedste seksdagespar, amerikanerne Walthour-Crossley og franskmændene Letourneur-Broccardo.
Da de kørte æresrunde til tonerne af »Deutschland, Deutschland über alles«, lod deres begejstrede landsmænd det på ægte amerikansk manér regne med papir og konfetti ned over dem.
Madison Square Garden IV, 1968-
Den seneste udgave af MSG er opført i 1968 på 7. avenue mellem 31. og 33. gade, ovenpå Pennsylvania Station - New York's travleste jernbanestation (kan sammenlignes med Gare du Nord i Paris eller Nørreport Station i København).
On February 11, 1968 the fourth Madison Square Garden, Madison Square Garden IV, opened after the financially troubled Pennsylvania Railroad tore down Pennsylvania Station (although the tracks remained underneath). The current Garden is the hub of Madison Square Garden Center in the office and entertainment complex known as Pennsylvania Plaza, for the railroad station atop which the complex is located.Da Cykelkurt & familie besøgte stedet i 2004, var det et topmoderne MSG, vi blev præsenteret for. Desværre uden cykelløb, som forlængst er opgivet, men til gengæld med basketball, ishockey og meget andet. Der er sportsarena og scene på 2 etager, således at der f.eks. kan arrangeres rock-koncert på den ene etage, mens der afvikles ishockey på den anden. Denne dag var et cirkus indlogeret, dyrepasseren luftede elefanterne i New York's gader, og ude bagved i kulissen skimtedes en ged lunte rundt. Under rundvisningen spurgte jeg guiden, en pæn ung mand i 20'erne, ang. seksdagesløb. Det anede han intet om - intet som helst!! Med andre ord: seksdagesløb er fortid på MSG. Dog bemærkede jeg i forhallen et par sort/hvide, nærmest brunlige billeder fra svundne tiders parløb.....Madison.
In 1972, the Garden's then chairman, Irving Mitchell Felt, talked about moving the Knicks and the Rangers to what was then merely a proposed arena in the New Jersey Meadows. This was a result of a row between the Garden and New York City over real estate taxes owed by MSG. The situation flared up again in 1980 when there was a reported threat by the Garden to move the Knicks to Nassau Coliseum and the Rangers to the nearly completed Meadowlands Arena if its city real estate taxes were not reduced. Both threats were not taken seriously by the city however, and no moves ever materialized.
In 1991 Garden ownership spent $200 million to renovate the Garden including adding 89 suites. In the process hundreds of seats in the upper mezzanine were removed to make way for the suites. Additionaly the color scheme of the garden was changed.
In 2004-2005 Cablevision was involved in an intense battle with the City of New York over the proposed West Side Stadium which they said would be competing with their venue. During the battle, Cablevision announced plans for $360 million in proposed renovations. When the stadium ultimately was stopped, Cablevision signed on to tear down the Garden and rebuild it on Ninth Avenue.
ref.: Cykelkurt i NY
Fremtiden
As of September 2005, the Garden's current owner, Cablevision, has plans to build a fifth Garden. If the project moves forward, a new Garden would be built at the western end of the James Farley Post Office, on 33rd Street and Ninth Avenue across the street, which is also eyed for a western expansion of Pennsylvania Station. The new Garden, which would remain home to the Rangers and the Knicks, would feature wide concourses with stores and restaurants, luxury boxes with better sight lines for basketball and hockey games, a museum, and a hall of fame. The current Garden would be torn down to be replaced with an office tower.
