The First Madison Square Garden
On this day in 1879, Madison Square Garden opened to the public.
Today marks the anniversary of the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan in 1879. The building was an important part of the cultural identity of the city. However, this was only the first of many buildings to go by that name. It also wasn't even the first entertainment venue on that site.
The story actually begins in 1871 with an abandoned railroad depot. The vacant land had great potential and, eventually, P.T. Barnum took hold of it in 1874. He used the site temporarily to house his famous circus. Then came Gilmore's Garden. A band leader called Gilmore created a multi-purpose site for various cultural events, including the first-ever Westminster Dog Show. Then, in 1879, it fell under new ownership, and Madison Square Garden was born.
At the time, the name was actually fitting. It was still a garden and still held similar events to those under Gilmore's name. It was certainly square, with decorative towers on each corner of the four walls. It was also named in honor of President Madison. It was successful for a while and held important cycling events at its state-of-the-art velodrome. Unfortunately, this building wasn't fit for purpose. It lacked the structural integrity and climate control to take proper care of attendees - so much so that some died in a balcony collapse. Eventually, the owner sold the property, and the garden was demolished in 1889 to make way for Madison Square Garden II.
Today's Madison Square Garden is a successor in name only. It carries the torch of the brand after the demise of the 2nd and 3rd versions of the building. The latter was demolished in 1968, with the current building completed the following year. It certainly isn't a garden anymore, and doesn't come close to resembling the outdoor space for the original venue. In fact, the arena was built in a new Midtown location - right above Penn Station. It certainly isn't square either.
Otherwise, the venue does a good job of continuing the theme of its predecessors. It is home to several sports teams and regularly hosts basketball, ice hockey, and combat sports. The WWE still comes there often for its TV shows, although bigger stadiums and arenas are more suitable for its PLEs these days. The space is also a great concert venue, with many major stars taking to the stage in the last 50 years.
The future of Madison Square Garden is a little uncertain right now. When the current lease ended in September last year, there were cries for it to not be renewed. The Metropolitan Transport Authority doesn't like the fact that it is right above Penn Station and restricting operations. The city voted to renew the lease for another 5 years. But, there may come a point when they bow to the pressure of the train companies and make MSG move again.
Madison Square Garden V might not be a bad thing - especially if it has the facilities and capacity to bring in bigger events and musical stars. It would also be quite poetic to see the rail companies destroy the current MSG building after the original took over one of their abandoned sites.