Top 10 Surprising Facts about the Madison Square Garden

A picture of the Madison Square Garden Front Entrance in New York City, NY by Andrew nyr – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Surprising Facts about the Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, also known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. Located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, it is situated atop Pennsylvania Station. It is the fourth venue to bear the name “Madison Square Garden”; the first two 1879 and 1890 were located on Madison Square, on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue, with the third Madison Square Garden (1925) farther uptown at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street.

The Garden is used for professional ice hockey and basketball, as well as boxing, concerts, ice shows, circuses, professional wrestling, and other forms of sports and entertainment. It is close to other midtown Manhattan landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Koreatown, and Macy’s at Herald Square. It is home to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was home to the New York Liberty (WNBA) from 1997 to 2017. 

Here are the top 10 surprising facts about the Madison Square Garden

1. One of the most iconic features of Madison Square Garden is its arena ceiling

The only concave stadium ceiling in the world. The reverse dome ceiling was designed by Charles Luckman, the arena’s architect. It is made out of perforated metal and sound absorbent acoustic installation, which helps make the Garden a favorite of many A-list musicians. It was fully restored during the Garden’s recent renovations.

The ceiling which floats about 20,000 spectators is supported by 48 bridge-like steel cables that connect in a tension ring at the center. This column-less structure means every seat in the house has an unobstructed view. Hanging from the middle of the ceiling is the Garden Vision scoreboard, which weighs 49,000 pounds and has a seamless wrap-around screen and screens on the bottom as well.

2. Ice is Hidden Below the Floors of Madison Square Garden

A picture of the playing surface during a game at Madison Square Garden by Andrew nyr – Wikimedia Commons

Due to Madison Square Garden’s busy schedule, the venue often has multiple shows or events on the same day, making efficiency key to running a smooth operation. This is especially the case in the winter when both the New York Knicks and New York Rangers call the arena home.

To make the quick transition from ice to floor or vice versa, the ice is kept underneath the basketball court, or stage, and covered with an insulated top to keep it cool. When the venue calls for ice, staff just remove the court or stage and the insulation to reveal the underlying floor of ice. 

The crew sprays thin layers of water on the 17,000-square-foot surface of the rink, which is chilled by pipes in the concrete, to create the ice. They also hand paint the blue zone lines and red face-off circles. The transition from ice to court usually takes just two hours.

3. Madison Square Garden underwent a facelift but still has vintage specs

For three summers starting in 2011, Madison Square Garden underwent a massive transformation. The $1 billion renovations included the addition of the bridge level that runs high above the event floor, a remodeled 7th Avenue entrance, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, new suites, food options, and other upgrades. Basically, everything in the building was given a facelift. There are, however, some spots where you can see the vintage past, including the 1968 South Corridor.

The corridor is so named because the walls, floors, and lighting are all how they would have appeared in 1968. Vintage ads from the period for events at the arena line the corridor. The entry-level passageways are usually closed and used only by employees, but visitors do use the hallways to empty out from an event, so the next time you are leaving a concert or game, be sure to look around. Another nod to the 1968 Garden is the Blue seat section in the upper balcony of the arena behind the Rangers’ goal; the light blue of this section matches the color all of the seats once were in 1968.

4. The Madison Square Garden has hosted a Nazi Rally

Madison Square Garden by Andrés Nieto Porras – Wikimedia Commons

The Garden has hosted many positive and historic events such as the 12-12-12 benefit concert for Hurricane Sandy and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. However, there are some dark spots in its repertoire. In 1939, inside the third iteration of Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, there was a Nazi rally hosted by the German American Bund. 

Twenty thousand Nazi supporters filled the arena to hear from German American Bund leader Fritz Julius Kuhn as he stood in front of a giant portrait of George Washington. The German American Bund was founded in 1936 by pro-Nazi ethnic Germans living in the United States. The organization ran several summer camps for Nazi youth throughout the United States and Camp Siegfried, a pro-Nazi planned community in Yaphank, 

New Yorkers who opposed the rally protested outside and held a counter-rally at Carnegie Hall. The Nazi rally was an anomaly in the usual programming since throughout the 1930s, Madison Square Garden hosted many anti-Nazi rallies attended by public officials and religious leaders.

5. Penn Station Was Reconfigured to Build Madison Square Garden

The current arena to be called Madison Square Garden was constructed in 1968 between 7th and 8th Avenue. Because the stadium was built on top of the busiest transit hub in the country, Penn Station needed to be demolished and reconfigured. The demolition of the original Penn Station led to the formation of the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission after disapproval from many members of the public.

The original Pennsylvania Station was constructed between 1904 and 1910 and designed by McKim, Mead, and White. The air rights to Penn Station were sold to accommodate Madison Square Garden. Some had argued that the cost of keeping the original structure was prohibitive, although others thought it was cost-effective and functional. 

6. Madison Square Garden has a Members-Only VIP Suite

Madison Square Garden by Jordan Staub – Wikimedia Commons

The luxurious suite was added during the recent renovation and offers great views of the arena. There are four levels of membership you can apply for to gain access.. Prices are not listed. Membership will grant you access to the lounge for two to up to 180 events.

Run by the Tao Group and Madison Square Garden, Suite Sixteen is a members-only VIP lounge only open to a select few. The Suite is decked out with plush leather stadium-style seating and comfy couches with cocktail tables and its own bar and buffet area. The suite is staffed by your personal bartender and catered with food from the Tao Group hospitality restaurants, curated by chefs and partners Ralph Scamardella and Chris Santo.

7. Historic Moments and Memorabilia are on Display at Madison Square Garden 

Madison Square Garden has hosted everyone from the Rolling Stones to Pope Francis. Some of the most memorable events are highlighted throughout the corridors of the SAP Concourse in Defining Moments displays. Ringing the ceiling around the concourse is Garden 366, a retrospective look at some of the most momentous events of the Garden’s 130-year history, one moment for every day of the calendar year.

Some of the moments highlighted are “The Fight of the Century” between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, a mass held by Pope Francis’ in 2015, and “The Dunk.” Inside these cases, you’ll find authentic artifacts and ephemera from the events, such as boxing gloves signed by Frazier and Ali, tickets to the mass, and the camera that took the famous photo of 6’3″ Knicks player John Starks’ dunk on Micheal Jordan in the 1993 NBA playoffs.

8. It is the Fourth Iteration of Madison Square Garden

A 1941 postcard depicting the third Madison Square Garden by Frank E. Cooper – Wikimedia Commons

The first Madison Square Garden was built in 1879 just north of Madison Square Park. The building sat 10,000 spectators and was used frequently for circuses until it was demolished in 1890 because the venue had no roof, making it difficult to hold events in inclement weather.

The first iteration of Madison Square Garden was replaced by a new arena in the same location in 1890. The new venue, though, was rocked by a scandal when the building’s architect, Stanford White, was murdered in the building by Henry Kendall Thaw for his affair with Thaw’s wife, prominent actress Evelyn Nesbit. A third Madison Square Garden was built in 1925, the first to be constructed at a different location. It held over 18,000 people and was built by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who used the building frequently for fights. The building was demolished from 1968 to 1969 when the current Madison Square Garden was opened.

9. The Westminster Dog Show was Madison Square Garden’s longest tenant

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show‘s group and Best in Show competitions were held at the Garden every year from 1877 to 2020, making the Dog Show the longest continuous tenant of the venue. This was broken in 2021 when the Dog Show was moved outside for the first time due to COVID-19. The Dog Show is the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the U.S. behind the Kentucky Derby.

The show began as a competition for gun dogs, such as Pointers and Setters, who were owned by a group of hunters. And the prizes were glamorous — to some: the most prized awards were pearl-handled pistols, The first show drew over 1,200 dogs, taking four days. Proceeds from the fourth day were even donated to the ASPCA, which was founded in 1866. 

10. Madison Square Garden has hosted hundreds of concerts

Madison Square Garden, Midtown Manhattan, NYC by Ajay Suresh – Wikimedia Commons

One of the most notable was John Lennon‘s last concert appearance in 1974, six years before his death. John Lennon joined Elton John on stage for a surprise guest performance, a particular shock to many fans who had missed seeing Lennon perform in the years prior. 

In 1972, in Lennon’s last full-length concert appearance, he and Yoko Ono performed two benefit concerts to aid patients at Willowbrook State School mental facility.