Madison Square Garden (1890)

Former arena in Manhattan, New York

This article is about the former New York arena. For other uses, see Madison Square Garden (disambiguation).

Madison Square Garden II

Full name| Madison Square Garden
Location| Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates| 40°44′34″N 73°59′08″W﻿ / ﻿40.74278°N 73.98556°W﻿ / 40.74278; -73.98556
Capacity| 8,000
Construction
Opened| June 1, 1891
Closed| 1925
Demolished| 1926
Architect| McKim, Mead & White
Builder| David H. King, Jr.

Madison Square Garden (1891–1926) was an indoor arena in New York City, the second by that name, and the second and last to be located at 26th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Opened in 1891 at the cost of about $500,000, it replaced the first Madison Square Garden, and hosted numerous events, including boxing matches, orchestral performances, light operas and romantic comedies, the annual French Ball, both the Barnum and the Ringling circuses, and the 1924 Democratic National Convention, which nominated John W. Davis after 103 ballots. The building closed in 1925, and was replaced by the third Madison Square Garden at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, which was the first to be located away from Madison Square.

## History

[edit]

The interior of Madison Square Garden at night, c. 1905

Madison Square Garden II, as it has come to be called in retrospect, was designed by noted architect Stanford White, who kept an apartment there. In 1906 White was murdered in the Garden's rooftop restaurant by millionaire Harry Kendall Thaw over White's affair with Thaw's wife, the well-known actress Evelyn Nesbit, who claimed White had raped her when she was 16.[1] The resulting sensational press coverage of the scandal caused Thaw's trial to be one of the first Trials of the Century.

The new building, which replaced an antiquated open-air structure that was previously a railroad passenger depot, was built by a syndicate which included J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, P. T. Barnum,[2] Darius Mills, James Stillman and W. W. Astor. White gave them a Beaux-Arts structure with a Moorish feel, including a minaret-like tower modeled after Giralda, the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville[2] - soaring 32 stories[citation needed] - the city's second tallest building at the time [citation needed] - dominating Madison Square Park. It was 200 feet (61 m) by 485 feet (148 m), and the main hall, which was the largest in the world, measured 200 feet (61 m) by 350 feet (110 m), with permanent seating for 8,000 people and floor space for thousands more. It had a 1200-seat theatre, a concert hall with a capacity of 1500, the largest restaurant in the city and a roof garden cabaret.[3] The final cost for the building, which the New York Times called "one of the great institutions of the town, to be mentioned along with Central Park and the bridge of Brooklyn" was $3 million.[3]

Augustus Saint-Gaudens' statue of Diana

Topping the Garden's tower was a statue of Diana, by noted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens,[4] which caused Madison Square Park to become known as "Diana's little wooded park". One of the possible models for Diana was Julia Baird, a well-known artist's model.[5][4] The original gilt copper statue was 18 ft (5.5 m) tall, and weighed 1,800 lb (820 kg), and spun with the wind; Saint-Gaudens had draped the statue in cloth, but this was soon blown away.[2] The statue was put in place in 1891, but was soon thought to be too large by Saint-Gaudens and White. It was removed and placed on top of a building at The World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, but the bottom half was destroyed by a fire after the close of the Exposition, and the top half was lost. In 1893, a hollow second version of the statue, 13 ft (4.0 m) tall and made of gilded copper, replaced the original. This is now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a copy is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[2][6] Saint-Gaudens made several smaller variants in bronze, one of which was on display in the entryway of both Madison Square Garden III, built in 1925, and the current Madison Square Garden.

The opening of the new arena was attended by over 17,000 people - who paid up to $50 for tickets to the event - including J.P. Morgan, the Pierponts, the Whitneys and General William Tecumseh Sherman.[3]

## Sports

[edit]

Another view of the exterior

In 1902 and 1903, the Garden hosted the World Series of Football, which is best remembered for showcasing the first indoor professional football games. The 1902 event involved five teams. The Knickerbocker Athletic Club, "New York team", Syracuse Athletic Club and the Warslow Athletic Club represented New York state. Meanwhile, the Orange Athletic Club represented New Jersey. The eventual winner of the 1902 series was the Syracuse Athletic Club. The event returned to the Garden in 1903 for the second and final time. The 1903 series featured the Knickerbocker Athletic Club, Olympic Athletic Club, Oreos Athletic Club and Watertown Red & Black representing New York state. Meanwhile, the Orange Athletic Club represented New Jersey, and the Franklin Athletic Club represented western Pennsylvania. The Franklin Athletic Club would go on to claim the event's final title.[7]

On January 8, 1909, Matthew Maloney finished ahead of James Crowley and Sidney Hatch in an indoor marathon before 5,000 "wildly cheering" spectators held within the Garden.[8] Maloney was reported to have set a new indoor record for the event (2:54:45.4).[8]

The Millrose Games were first held at the arena in 1914.

The Garden continued to host The Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show. This championship is the third-longest running U.S. sporting event (behind only the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks).

Boxing has a long history at Madison Square Garden. The original Garden presented boxing matches even before they were technically legal, calling them "exhibitions" or "illustrated lectures". Among the many events which were held in the new Garden were a number of significant boxing matchups. A bout between defending heavyweight champion Jess Willard and challenger Frank Moran on March 25, 1916, which brought in $152,000, the largest Garden take to that date.[3] Also, Jack Dempsey's knockout of Bill Brennan in the 12th round on December 14, 1920.[3]

Professional wrestling was also successfully staged at the venue, as with later incarnations of the Garden. The World Heavyweight Championship derives from George Hackenschmidt's victory in two straight falls at the Garden over Tom Jenkins on May 4, 1905.[9] Joe Stecher regained the championship from Earl Caddock at the venue on January 30, 1920,[10] the earliest American professional wrestling match to survive on film.[11] The venue also hosted the next two title changes, Ed "Strangler" Lewis' victory over Stecher on December 13, 1920, and his subsequent loss of the championship to Stanislaus Zbyszko on May 6, 1921.[12][13][14][15]

From 1899 until its demolition, Madison Square Garden hosted the Six Days of New York, an annual six-day racing event of track cycling.

## Demolition

[edit]

Despite its importance to the New York cultural scene in the early 20th century, Madison Square Garden II was never any more of a financial success than the original Garden was,[16] and the New York Life Insurance Company, which held the mortgage on it, decided to tear it down to make way for a new headquarters building, which would become the landmark Cass Gilbert-designed New York Life Building. Construction on the new building began in 1926, and was completed in 1928.

## In popular culture

[edit]

* The 1924 Anita Stewart film The Great White Way featured the second Garden.[3]
* The 1932 film Madison Square Garden starred Jack Oakie, Zasu Pitts and William Boyd, who would later find fame as "Hopalong Cassidy".[3]
* The 1975 novel and 1981 film Ragtime both feature the second Garden as a key location. In the film, recreations of the rooftop garden shooting and tower statue are shown.

The 32-story tower of Madison Square Garden dominates the skyline over Madison Square and Madison Square Park in this 1908 image.

## See also

[edit]

* Madison Square
* Madison Square Garden (1879)
* Madison Square Garden (1925)
* Madison Square Garden (1968)
* Madison Square Garden Bowl

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Dworin, Caroline H. (2007-11-04). "The Girl, the Swing and a Row House in Ruins". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
2. ^ a b c d Federal Writers' Project (1939). New York City Guide. New York: Random House. (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976, ISBN 040302921X; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City.), pp.330–333
3. ^ a b c d e f g "Madison Square Garden II
4. ^ a b Meyers, Tom; Young, Greg (February 19, 2010). "Madison Square Garden, World's Most Famous Arena(s)". theboweryboys.com. The Bowery Boys: New York City History. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
5. ^ Hinman, Suzanne (2019). The Grandest Madison Square Garden: Art, Scandal, and Architecture in Gilded Age New York. Syracuse University Press. pp. 268, 271. "...Julia Baird's claim was published, the Boston Herald reported that some seventeen women from various parts of the country each swore that it was she who had been the model"
6. ^ Information page at the Met's website
7. ^ Carroll, Bob (1980). "The First Football World Series" (PDF). Coffin Corner. 2 (Annual). Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–8\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-18.
8. ^ a b "Maloney Wins Marathon Race; Trinity A.C. Runner Beats Big Field in Madison Square Garden. COVERS COURSE IN 2:53:06 Winner in Rye to New York Race Scores a Popular Victory Before a Big and Wildly Cheering Crowd" (pdf). The New York Times. New York. November 9, 1909. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
9. ^ "Hackenschmidt Is Wrestling Champion" (PDF). New York Times. 1905-05-05. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
10. ^ "Caddock Defeated In Fast Mat Bout" (PDF). New York Times. 1920-01-31. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
11. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Earl Caddock vs Joe Stecher (1920): Oldest Pro Wrestling on Film". YouTube.
12. ^ "Lewis Captures Wrestling Title" (PDF). New York Times. 1920-12-14. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
13. ^ ""Strangler" Lewis Regains His Title". Hartford Courant. 1920-12-14. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
14. ^ "Zbyszko Wrests Title From Lewis" (PDF). New York Times. 1921-05-06. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
15. ^ F4W Staff (May 6, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 6): Verne Gagne Vs. Danny Hodge, 1st Annual Von Erich Parade of Champions show". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
16. ^ Burrows, Edwin G. and Wallace, Mike, Gotham: A History of New York to 1989. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-19-511634-8

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madison Square Garden (1890).

* Arena information
* "Madison Square Garden" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.

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Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area

Active|

| The Bronx|

* Coffey Field
* Draddy Gymnasium
* Gaelic Park
* Ohio Field
* Reinhart Field
* Rose Hill Gymnasium
* Van Cortlandt Park
* Yankee Stadium

|

Brooklyn|

* Aviator Sports and Events Center
* Barclays Center
* Brooklyn Street Circuit
* Maimonides Park
* Generoso Pope Athletic Complex
* Steinberg Wellness Center

Manhattan|

* Chelsea Piers
* Commisso Soccer Stadium
* Icahn Stadium
* John McEnroe Tennis Academy
* Levien Gymnasium
* Madison Square Garden
* Wien Stadium
* Rucker Park
* Sportime Stadium
* Fort Washington Avenue Armory

Queens|

* Aqueduct Racetrack
* Belson Stadium
* Carnesecca Arena
* Citi Field
* Flushing Meadows Natatorium
* Jack Kaiser Stadium
* Metropolitan Oval
* USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
* Arthur Ashe Stadium
* Louis Armstrong Stadium
* West Side Tennis Club

Staten Island|

* SIUH Community Park
* Spiro Sports Center
* Staten Island Cricket Club
* Wagner College Stadium

Nassau|

* Belmont Park
* Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium
* Eisenhower Park
* Hofstra Arena
* Island Garden
* James M. Shuart Stadium
* Mitchel Athletic Complex
* Nassau County Aquatic Center
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
* UBS Arena

Suffolk|

* Baseball Heaven
* Fairfield Properties Ballpark
* Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
* Island Federal Credit Union Arena
* Joe Nathan Field
* Pritchard Gymnasium
* Riverhead Raceway

New Jersey|

* Arm & Hammer Park
* Asbury Park Convention Hall
* Bogota Savings Bank Center
* CURE Insurance Arena
* Hinchliffe Stadium
* Jadwin Gymnasium
* Jersey City Armory
* Jersey Mike's Arena
* Mennen Arena
* Meadowlands Sports Complex
* Meadowlands Racetrack
* MetLife Stadium
* Monmouth Park Racetrack
* MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
* Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
* Princeton Stadium
* Prudential Center
* Richard J. Codey Arena
* Roberts Stadium
* SHI Stadium
* ShoreTown Ballpark
* Sports Illustrated Stadium
* TD Bank Ballpark
* Wall Township Speedway
* Wellness and Events Center
* Yanitelli Center
* Yogi Berra Stadium
* Yurcak Field

Hudson Valley|

* Clover Stadium
* Fleming Field
* Joseph F. Fosina Stadium
* Westchester County Center
* Yonkers Raceway

Defunct|

| The Bronx|

* Bronx Coliseum
* Fleetwood Park Racetrack
* Jerome Park Racetrack
* Morris Park Racecourse
* New York Velodrome
* Yankee Stadium (1923)

|

Brooklyn|

* Brighton Beach Race Course
* Capitoline Grounds
* Commercial Field
* Coney Island Velodrome
* Eastern Park
* Ebbets Field
* Gravesend Race Track
* Sheepshead Bay Race Track
* Union Grounds
* Washington Park

Manhattan|

* 69th Regiment Armory
* 181st Street Ice Palace
* Downing Stadium
* Coles Sports and Recreation Center
* Governors Island Golf Course
* Hilltop Park
* Lewisohn Stadium
* Madison Square Garden (1879)
* Madison Square Garden (1890)
* Madison Square Garden (1925)
* Metropolitan Park
* Polo Grounds
* St. Nicholas Rink

Queens|

* Dexter Park
* Jamaica Racetrack
* Louis Armstrong Stadium (1978–2016)
* Madison Square Garden Bowl
* Ridgewood Park
* Shea Stadium
* Singer Bowl
* Sunnyside Garden Arena
* Union Course

Staten Island|

* Bloomingdale Park
* St. George Cricket Grounds
* Thompson Stadium

Long Island|

* Freeport Municipal Stadium
* Island Garden (Original)
* Islip Speedway
* Long Island Arena
* Roosevelt Raceway
* Suffolk Meadows

New Jersey|

* Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium
* Boyle's Thirty Acres
* Elysian Fields
* Freehold Raceway
* Giants Stadium
* Harrison Park
* Meadowlands Arena
* Newark Schools Stadium
* Newark Velodrome
* Palmer Stadium
* Roosevelt Stadium
* Ruppert Stadium
* Rutgers Stadium (1938)

Under construction|

* Etihad Park

Never built|

* Bergen Ballpark
* Proposed domed Brooklyn Dodgers stadium
* Kingsbridge National Ice Center
* The Lighthouse Project
* New York Cosmos Stadium
* Port Imperial Street Circuit
* West Side Stadium

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Venues of the Democratic National Convention

1800s|

* The Athenaeum and Warfield's Church (1832)
* Fourth Presbyterian Church (Baltimore) (1835)
* The Assembly Rooms (1840)
* Odd Fellows Hall (1844)
* Universalist Church (Baltimore) (1848)
* Maryland Institute (1852)
* Smith and Nixon's Hall (1856)
* South Carolina Institute Hall / Front Street Theater (1860)
* The Amphitheatre (Chicago) (1864)
* Tammany Hall (1868)
* Ford's Grand Opera House (1872)
* Merchants Exchange Building (1876)
* Cincinnati Music Hall (1880)
* Interstate Exposition Building (1884)
* Exposition Building (1888)
* Wigwam (1892)
* Chicago Coliseum (1896)

1900s|

* Convention Hall (1900)
* St. Louis Coliseum (1904)
* Denver Auditorium Arena (1908)
* Fifth Regiment Armory (1912)
* Convention Hall (1916)
* San Francisco Civic Auditorium (1920)
* Madison Square Garden (II) (1924)
* Sam Houston Hall (1928)
* Chicago Stadium (1932)
* Philadelphia Convention Hall/Franklin Field (1936)
* Chicago Stadium (1940)
* Chicago Stadium (1944)
* Philadelphia Convention Hall (1948)
* International Amphitheatre (1952)
* International Amphitheatre (1956)
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena / Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1960)
* Atlantic City Convention Hall (1964)
* International Amphitheatre (1968)
* Miami Beach Convention Center (1972)
* Madison Square Garden (IV) (1976)
* Madison Square Garden (IV) (1980)
* Moscone Center (1984)
* Omni Coliseum (1988)
* Madison Square Garden (IV) (1992)
* United Center (1996)

2000s|

* Staples Center (2000)
* FleetCenter (2004)
* Pepsi Center / Invesco Field (2008)
* Time Warner Cable Arena (2012)
* Wells Fargo Center (2016)
* Wisconsin Center (2020)
* United Center (2024)

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World Series of Football (1902–03)

1902 teams|

* Knickerbocker Athletic Club
* "New York team"
* Orange Athletic Club
* Syracuse Athletic Club
* Warslow Athletic Club

1903 teams|

* Franklin Athletic Club
* Knickerbocker Athletic Club
* Olympic Athletic Club
* Orange Athletic Club
* Oreos Athletic Club
* Watertown Red & Black

Arena|

* Madison Square Garden

Related topics|

* National Football League (1902)

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Broadway theatres

List

Active, by owner

| The Shubert Organization (17)|

* Ambassador Theatre
* Belasco Theatre
* Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
* Booth Theatre
* Broadhurst Theatre
* Broadway Theatre
* Ethel Barrymore Theatre
* Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
* Imperial Theatre
* James Earl Jones Theatre
* John Golden Theatre
* Longacre Theatre
* Lyceum Theatre
* Majestic Theatre
* Music Box Theatre
* Shubert Theatre
* Winter Garden Theatre

|

Nederlander Organization (9)|

* Gershwin Theatre
* Lena Horne Theatre
* Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
* Marquis Theatre
* Minskoff Theatre
* Nederlander Theatre
* Neil Simon Theatre
* Palace Theatre
* Richard Rodgers Theatre

ATG Entertainment (7)|

* Al Hirschfeld Theatre
* August Wilson Theatre
* Eugene O'Neill Theatre
* Hudson Theatre
* Lyric Theatre
* St. James Theatre
* Walter Kerr Theatre

Roundabout Theatre Company (3)|

* Stephen Sondheim Theatre
* Studio 54
* Todd Haimes Theatre

Other (5)|

* Circle in the Square Theatre (independent)
* Hayes Theater (Second Stage)
* New Amsterdam Theatre (Disney)
* Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (MTC)
* Vivian Beaumont Theater (Lincoln Center)

Extant former
Broadway theatres|

* Ed Sullivan Theater (CBS)
* Edison Theatre (Hotel Edison)
* Empire Theatre (AMC Theatres)
* Liberty Theatre
* Mark Hellinger Theatre (Times Square Church)
* New Victory Theater (New 42nd Street)
* Sony Hall (Blue Note Entertainment Group)
* Times Square Theater (New 42nd Street)

Defunct and/or demolished

| Post-1949|

* 48th Street Theatre
* Adelphi Theatre
* Apollo Theatre
* Bijou Theatre
* Center Theatre
* Central Theatre
* Colonial Theatre
* Empire Theatre
* Fulton Theatre
* International Theatre
* Latin Quarter
* Morosco Theatre
* New Century Theatre
* Playhouse Theatre
* President Theatre
* Rialto Theatre
* Vanderbilt Theatre
* Ziegfeld Theatre

|

Post-1919|

* 39th Street Theatre
* 44th Street Theatre
* 49th Street Theatre
* American Music Hall
* Anco Cinema
* Astor Theatre
* Belmont Theatre
* Bowery Theatre
* Broadway Theatre
* Casino de Paris
* Casino Theatre
* Century Theatre
* Charles Hopkins Theatre
* Civic Repertory Theatre
* Comedy Theatre
* Concert Theatre
* Criterion Theatre
* Daly's 63rd Street Theatre
* Earl Carroll Theatre
* Fifth Avenue Theatre
* Gaiety Theatre
* Garrick Theatre
* George M. Cohan's Theatre
* Hippodrome Theatre
* Knickerbocker Theatre
* Klaw Theatre
* Lyric Theatre (1903)
* Maxine Elliott's Theatre
* Nora Bayes Theatre
* Princess Theatre
* Sam H. Harris Theatre
* Waldorf Theatre

Post-1866|

* Abbey's Park Theatre
* Academy of Music
* Bandbox Theatre
* Barnum's New American Museum
* Bijou Theatre
* Booth's Theatre
* Broadway Theatre
* Circle Theatre
* Daly's Theatre
* Garden Theatre
* Grand Opera House
* Herald Square Theatre
* Hoyt's Theatre
* Koster and Bial's Music Hall
* Lyceum Theatre
* Madison Square Roof Garden
* Manhattan Theatre
* Murray Hill Theatre
* New Bowery Theatre
* New Star Theatre
* New Theatre Comique
* New York Theatre
* Niblo's Garden
* Olympic Theatre
* Paradise Roof Garden
* Princess Theatre
* Savoy Theatre
* Star Theatre
* Theatre Comique
* Victoria Theatre
* Wallack's Theatre
* Weber's Music Hall
* Winter Garden Theatre

Pre-musical|

* American Theatre
* Anthony Street Theatre
* Barnum's American Museum
* Broadway Theatre
* Burton's Chambers Street Theatre
* John Street Theatre
* Nassau Street Theatre
* National Theatre
* Olympic Theatre
* Park Theatre
* Richmond Hill Theatre

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