Madison Square Garden, New York City

Madison Square Garden (MSG), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City, located between 7th and 8th avenues from 31st to 33rd streets. It has an arena with a seating capacity of 20 thousand people, a 5,000-seat theater, an exposition rotunda, a bowling center, a hall of fame and a gallery of sports art.

The present Madison Square Garden Complex opened on February 11, 1968, on the site of the former Pennsylvania Station. It is the fifth venue named "Madison Square Garden". Madison Square has a history of hosting large arenas for major sporting events.

The Franconi Schottisch's Hippodrome opened in 1853, on west side Fifth Avenue, in Madison Square. It was demolished in 1856 to make way for the Fifth Avenue Hotel (200 Fifth Avenue).

The P.T. Barnum's Roman Hippodrome opened in 1874 on the northeast side of Madison Square, between 26th and 27th streets. The site was previously used by the New York and Harlem Railroad as passenger depot and freight warehouse.

The first venue named Madison Square Garden, opened in 1879, on the site of the former Roman Hippodrome. The second Madison Square Garden opened in 1890, both located on Madison Square, on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue. The third Madison Square Garden opened in 1925 at 8th Avenue and 50th Street, now site of the New World Stages.

In 1932, the Madison Square Garden Bowl was built in Queens at 48th Street and Northern Boulevard in Long Island City. Tex Rickard, a boxing promoter and the owner of the famous arena in Manhattan, had the initiative to built a spinoff of the Garden. Its capacity was 72 thousand spectators in an outdoor wooden arena and it hosted circuses and boxing matches. The arena was demolished in the late 1930s.

In 1959, the Graham-Paige firm, owned by Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, acquired a controlling interest in the old Madison Square Garden. In November 1960, Graham-Paige was offered the rights to build at Penn Station from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. To build the new venue, the above-ground portions of the original Pennsylvania Station were demolished. Construction of the new facilities began in October 29, 1964, and the new arena opened on February 11, 1968.

In 1991, the circular arena was renovated. A second renovation, which lasted three years, was completed in October 2013.

Madison Square Garden has hosted many types of major events, including sporting, musical and political events. It is the home of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. Here, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali fought for the boxing heavyweight championship in 1971. Madison Square Garden has been the site of four Democratic National Conventions and one Republican National Convention, landmark visits of Pope John Paul II (1979) and Pope Francis (2015).

Musical shows are a huge chapter in the Madison Square Garden's history. They include Frank Sinatra’s concert in 1974 and the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in 2009. The arena hosted prominent benefit concerts, including the historic Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison in 1971. Among the artists who performed here are, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, The Who, U2, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Freddie Mercury, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan and Billy Joel.

The theater at MSG (Hulu Theater since 2018), with a capacity of around 5,000 people, has been used for concerts, meetings, stage shows and graduation ceremonies. It was the home of the NFL draft from 1995 to 2004.

The Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame honors those who have demonstrated excellence in their fields at the Garden. The MSG Gold Ticket Awards is given to performers who had brought in more than 100,000 unit ticket sales. The Platinum Ticket Awards is given to performers who sold over 250,000 tickets. The Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame was established in 1992 "to recognize athletes, artists, announcers and coaches for their extraordinary achievements and memorable performances at the venue".