Have you ever heard of Madison Square Garden? You probably have...famous concerts, sporting events, and even political conventions have been held here. Built above Penn Station, it is home to two major sports teams, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. But did you know that this Madison Square Garden is its fourth incarnation? Let's take a look into the past and discover how this happened and what was lost in the process.
New York Public Library Digital Collection
The first Madison Square Garden was built in 1871 on an abandoned train depot owned by Commodore Vanderbilt. It was originally known as the Monster Classical and Geological Hippodrome (or the Great Roman Hippodrome). With this very busy and important name, it had to be leased by none other than P.T. Barnum! Chariot races and circuses drew great crowds, but Barnum realized that the real money was taking his show on the road. And so the building was leased by Peter Gilmore and renamed the Gilmore Gardens. The very first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was held here in 1877. *
New York Public Library Digital Collection
In 1879, the Vanderbilts took back the property and created a sporting arena called...you guessed it....Madison Square Garden since it was located on Madison Avenue and East 26th Street. It was an open-air venue which means no roof! Patrons complained about being hot in the summer, freezing in the winter, and wet when it rained. Tired of all the complaining, the Vanderbilts sold the property.
New York Public Library Digital Collection
It was out with the old and in with the new as the aging building was demolished and a modern one was designed by the grand architect Stanford White. White loved his Madison Square Garden building so much that he built an apartment for himself. Little did he know that in 1906, he would be murdered on its rooftop restaurant by a jealous husband.**
Top Images: New York Public Library Digital Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
It is rumored that the Diana statue on the top of the tower is modeled after the actress Evelyn Nesbit, whom Stanford White was having an affair with and hence, the jealous husband, Harry Thaw. Side note, Harry Thaw did confess to shooting White. He was charged with murder and caused "The Trial of the Century" in 1907.**
Unfortunately, this version of the venue was never a great success, so it was torn down by the owner of its mortgage, New York Life Insurance Company to make way for their new headquarters building.***
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In 1925, a new, new version of Madison Square Gardens was built on 8th Avenue and 50th Street. It was the first time it was not located anywhere near a garden or Madison Avenue.
This arena began to take the shape of the modern-day MSG as the home for the Knicks and Rangers. One of the most famous events that took place here was President John Kennedy's birthday party in 1962 with Marilyn Monroe singing happy birthday "Mrrrr. Preesssident".
Columbia University Library Digital Collection
In 1968, the final Madison Square Garden opened its door at its new and current location between 7th and 8th Avenue and 31st and 33rd Streets. It was built on top of Penn Station. Unfortunately, the beautiful above-ground part of Penn Station was torn down to make way for this building. The outcry over the destruction of Penn Station caused the city to create the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission which was instrumental in saving the other Beaux-Arts train station, Grand Central Terminal
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There have been discussions about moving Madison Square Garden to improve the underground Penn Station. (If you have ever been in Penn Station's subterranean nightmare of low ceiling and confusing layout, you know it needs fixing.) In 2013, the owners of Madison Square Garden completed a one billion-dollar renovation. With the relocation of MSG out of the question, the state of New York decided to move to Penn Station instead. In 2017, a 1.6 billion dollars
construction project began by reusing the James A. Farley Building (the former home of NYC's General Post Office). The structure has been transformed to emulate the old Penn Station by recreating the glass atrium. Tracks were moved and expansive waiting rooms were created for passengers of Amtrak, Long Island Railroad, and 8th Avenue subway. Named for the late New York Senator Daniel Moynihan, who had championed a plan to rebuild a replica of the historic Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall opened on January 1, 2021, after three years of construction.****
Want to know more? Here is a good place to start:
Read:
American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, the Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century by Paula Uruburu.
Sources:
Photographs:
Photographs and Images via New York Public Library Digital Collection
Postcard image via Columbia University Digital Collection
Artist renderings of Moynihan Train Hall via SOM/Governor Office