In 1960, plans were announced for a fourth Madison Square Garden Center. The new site above Pennsylvania Station was selected.
Garden IV opened on February 11, 1968, with a superstar-studded "Salute to the USO" concert with "Chicken Delight," otherwise known as Bob Hope "battling" former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Others making guest appearances included New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay, Bing Crosby, Phyllis Diller, Pearl Bailey, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and General of the Army Omar N. Bradley.
As Garden IV had its opening night event, Garden III remained open during that final February weekend. Jim Ryun ran the mile in 3:57.5; the Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers; and according to David Rohlfing "The final score (at MSG III) was Detroit 3, Rangers 3 in an afternoon game which was preceded by a skatearound by dozens of hockey old timers. I was there. The USO show at the new Garden was held on that same evening, February 11, 1968." It was the only time in history that two Gardens were hosting fans in separate parts of the city.
Three days later the new Garden hosted its first sports event, with the home team Knicks beating San Diego, 114-102, in a National Basketball Association game.
Two years later 19,500 fans watched the Knicks defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 113-99, in the seventh game of the championship series to win their first-ever NBA title.
The new sports and entertainment showplace was recognized as a magnificent complex representing a major achievement in modern construction with a circular cable-suspended roof above the arena facility and an adjacent 29 -story office building.
Madison Square Garden became a subsidiary of Gulf+Western Inc., now renamed Paramount Communications Inc., in 1977. It is part of Paramount's entertainment operations, which also include Paramount Pictures and theater operations in the U.S., Canada and overseas. Paramount Communications also has operations in publishing (Simon & Schuster Prentice Hall, Pocket Books and Silver Burdett & Ginn).
But, the Garden, which celebrated its centennial anniversary on May 31, 1979, is more than a building. It is the busiest arena in the country, and its worldwide reputation for excitement is built on the wide variety of headline attractions it hosts. Among the many highlights of the present Garden have been the 1976 and 1980 Democratic National Conventions, at which Jimmy Carter was nominated; the special Youth in Concert visit by Pope Paul II in 1979; the dramatic 1979 National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoff semifinal series won by the Rangers over their New York rivals, the Islanders; "The Fight" in 1971 in which Joe Frazier out-pointed Muhammad Ali; and soldout concerts by such diverse performers and artists as the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Celia Cruz, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen.
Today, following a multi-million dollar two-year renovation project, Madison Square Garden continues as "the world's most famous arena." The 20,000-seat arena has been completely refurbished with new seating, specialty food concession areas, waiter/waitress service direct to the seats of "Club" ticket holders, a new state-of-the-art center scoreboard complete with four jumbo video screens and 88 new luxury suites.
The renovation, which was completed in September of 1991, included the introduction of The Theater (formerly named The Paramount), a 5,600-seat multi-use theater and two new restaurants, the Play By Play Sports Bar and the Club Restaurant, all located directly within the facilities of Madison Square Garden itself.
The Theater, named for New York's famed mecca of entertainment from 1926 to 1964, combines the latest staging, sound and lighting techniques with the same lure of star performers that the former Paramount on Forty-third Street and Broadway had. Built on the site of the former Felt Forum, The Theater, in it's inaugural year, has played host to a wide variety of shows, from Harry Connick, Jr.'s fifteen sold-out engagements and the incomparable James Taylor to world championship prize fits, an HBO Comedy Special with George Carlin and a visit by the Dalai Lama.
Madison Square Garden is one of the loudest and proudest buildings in hockey, and the fans know how to generate excitement at Rangers games. Self-proclaimed "true" Rangers fans sit in the upper deck, where "Let's go, Rangers" chants spill over the rest of the crowd.
Rangers fans are loyal, unforgiving and proud. Now that the team has brought home the 1994 Stanley Cup after 54 years without winning one, expect even more excitement at the Garden.
Madison Square Garden is committed to continuing its rich, exciting 112 year tradition which has inspired press and performing people to proclaim it as "the center of the universe," "the world's most versatile stage," "a palace of pleasure" and "not just a building but a state of mind."
Perhaps it was the Pulitzer Prize-winning sports journalist, the late Red Smith, who best summed it up when he wrote, "Madison Square Garden is, very simply, the most famous and glamorous arena in creation."
Getting there
From New Jersey or the south, enter Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel and follow signs for downtown; turn left on 34th Street.
Madison Square Garden History
* First Stanley Cup finals game: May 4, 1972, 5-2 over the Boston Bruins
* May 4, 1972: The Rangers win their first Stanley Cup finals game at this Garden building, beating the Boston Bruins 5-2
* June 14, 1994: Mark Messier scores winning goal to give the Rangers a 3-2 Game 7 win over the Canucks as New York wins its first Stanley Cup since 1940
Screen Gem: MSG puts in HDTV scoreboard
October 9-15, 2000
By Steve Cameron
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal Staff Writer
New York Rangers Fans may have trouble believing their eyes
Not because of action on the ice, but what they're seeing above it.
Madison Square Garden now boasts the first-ever High Definition (HDTV) scoreboard system, which includes four huge screens on its main center-hung structure and 150 smaller screens scattered throughtout the building.
"The visual images are unbelievable," said Michael Juiian, senior vice president and general manager at MSG. "You've got double the resolution, twice that of what you can see at any other arena.
"Fans want to see replays. Now you come to a game here, watch a replay and you can actually see the puck go into the net. Or at a basketball game, you can see the sweat on the center's face as he dunks the ball.
"It's as clear as watching on television at home."
In addition to adding the HDTV techology, the Garden also now has a state-of-the-art control room for operating the entire system. Backups - like five projectors for the four main screens - cover any foreseeable malfunction.
MSG officials would not comment on the cost of the system.
"This isn't being done anywhere else in the world," Juilian said.
MSG officials expect to unveil the entire package at the Rangers' regular-season opener.
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
| Madison Square Garden Ranking by USRT |
| Architecture |  | 7 |
| Concessions | | 4 |
| Scoreboard | | 4.5 |
| Ushers | | 7 |
| Fan Support | | 8 |
| Location | | 9 |
| Banners/History | | 9 |
| Entertainment | | 5 |
| Concourses/Fan Comfort | | 6 |
| Total Score |  | 59.5 |
March 5, 2000 & March 17, 2002 - "Welcome to the magic world of Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena."
Sitting atop Penn Station in the heart of Midtown Manhattan just a few blocks south of Times Square. Madison Square Garden embodies the flashiness and electricity that defines the Big Apple.
Opened for business in 1968, this is the fourth arena to be named Madison Square Garden, the first opening in 1874. Along with being the home of the NBA Knicks and NHL Rangers, this arena is also home to such world renowned events as the Westminster Dog Show and the Millrose Indoor Track and Field Championships. Of couse being the Garden this place is also a hallowed boxing arena where many great bouts have taken place, most notably Ali-Frazier in 1971.
Getting to the Venue
Best advice ... take the subway or a train! Traffic is your typical Manhattan mess, and getting around this city is a chore. Parking can be had for $20-$25 right near the arena, and as cheap as $10 if you want to walk a few blocks. Free spaces are around but hard to find and you have to watch the restrictions on the free parking spots or you could find your car gone when you return.
Outside the Arena
Two major marquees dominate the exterior of the building with one overlooking 8th Avenue and one above the 7th Avenue entrance where one can access Penn Station. On the 8th Avenue side sits the entrance to the Madison Square Garden Theatre. Once known as the Felt Forum, this 4,000 seat auditorium is the site of many plays. The main entrance to the arena is at 7th Avenue where once inside you have the option of stepping inside one of many shops and places to eat before heading up to the arena entrance.
At the foot of the arena you will see an illustrious display of murals dedicated to the main tenants of the building while the floor is tiled with the names of many of the great performers who have graced the Garden floor. At the right is an escalator that takes people with preferred seating to their seat location. Get past the ticket windows and head to the many levels of escalators that will take you to your seating level. The Garden is unique in that the floor of the main arena is several stories above ground level, unlike other places where it is either at ground level or below.
The Concourses
Generally these are somewhat narrower than in most buildings we have seen, however this building contains more concourses than what we are used to seeing, so getting around the building is not really all that difficult and there are quite a few nooks to explore.. Concessions are grouped into two "Center Food Courts", where knishes are added to the pizzas burgers and other typical ballpark dreck. Yet at the same time unsurprising since New York seems to be a no-frills, traditional sports crowd. Also, two team stores can be found at opposite baselines with a great selections of Knicks, Rangers and Liberty (wheeee!) merchandise..
Premium Seating
Skyboxes ring the roof of the building, while a three level of suite configuration can be found in one end zone. Being an older building, there is no club level per se, but seat levels are clearly delineated by an aisle which rings the top of each level. It is the lowest level of seats that are most expensive. For premium seat holders there is a private facility called the Play by Play Sports Restaurant, offering a continental menu, games such as bubble hockey and foul shot and HDTV monitors to watch the games,
Seating Area
This is a single level bowl with red seats in lower sections and blue seats up high as fans enter into the bowl from four different levels. Above it, all suites ring most of the arena and in some spots they are double decked. An eight sided jumbotron hangs above center court and dot matrix boards sit atop the seating area at each baseline showing out of town scores, ads, and being New York the occasional stock ticker. With New York being the center of the world, one can ignore the game and watch the celebs that sit courtside here. Our personal favorite being Spike Lee, the only one who dresses and behaves as if he is sitting next to Joe Sixpack with his unbridled enthusiasm for his(and Peter's) beloved Knicks.
Retired Numbers and Banners
With the Knicks dating back to 1946 and the Rangers celebrating their 75th anniversary season these are two of the storied franchises in sports. Hanging proudly for the Knicks are banners for their two NBA titles in 1970 and 73 along with Division and Conference title banners. Seven Knick players have their number raised to the roof here as well as the number 613 for Coach Red Holzman. Opposite these banners are the Ranger Stanley Cup, Conference, Division, and President's Trophy banners as well as the names of Rod Gilbert and Ed Giacomin. With the Rangers most recent Stanley Cup, no longer will they hear the chant of "1940" when they hit the road. We don't mean to sound sexist, but we could really do without the Liberty banners...
Extra Points
This was Peter's first time ever at the Garden to see his beloved Knicks and on this day they went down to defeat at the hands of the Jazz...the multiple concourses reminded us of Buffalo's old Memorial Auditorium...Knicks seating capacity is 19,763 and every ticket has been sold since February 1993...Post Office building sits opposite the Garden at 8th Avenue(Peter's other hallowed ground)....
March 17, 2002 update...Ultimate Sports Road Trip karma??? Try jinx instead! We are now 0 for 3 in 2002 as the Detroit Red Wings scored a late goal and added an empty netter to beat the Rangers, 5-3. Pavel Bure, the Rangers need you fast!!! (hahahah). Maybe we'll have better luck on our next trip in the midwest.
Summary
Yes, this building has aged and it is not complete with every last new amenity found in newer facilities. However, let's face it this is THE Garden, a place someone with the initials MJ referred to as "The Mecca of Basketball", where Willis limped onto the court in game 7, one of the famous moments in NBA history. This is one of the oldest NBA and NHL arenas in North America, yet retains an aura and elegance that is unmatched and can not be duplicated, and here you are in the center of the greatest city on the planet. There is nothing shabby, dog-eared or negative one can find here - it is truly one of sports' hallowed grounds and a venue to be experienced again and again.
