June 26, 2004 NASHVILLE (Billboard) - The world's top-grossing arena could be headed for an extreme makeover.
According to a statement issued by Madison Square Garden spokesman Barry Watkins, the venerable arena "has started the process of a major renovation to create a state-of-the art facility and will do it without taxpayer money."
Cablevision, which owns the Garden, has sent out formal Requests for Proposals (RFP) in its search for a design firm to spearhead the renovation of the 20,697-capacity arena. The project is estimated in some published reports to cost as much as $370 million.
A source who has seen the RFP tells Billboard that the plan calls for work on the project to begin in October 2006 and conclude in time for the 2008-09 basketball and hockey seasons. The plan also stipulates that the building be open for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons of primary Garden tenants, basketball's New York Knicks and hockey's New York Rangers. That means most of the heavy lifting will take place in the summer months.
Most agents questioned believe that music tours will be routed to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., or Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., if the Garden is not available. Superstar acts have sometimes played all three venues on a tour.
The project would include new seating and luxury suites, as well as a new box office and a new entrance.
The Garden opened at its current location in 1968 and was last remodeled in 1989, when suites and the 5,610-seat Theater at Madison Square Garden were added.
The Garden is the No. 1 arena in the world, at least in terms of generating box-office revenue. MSG has topped the Billboard Boxscore list of top-grossing arenas for four years running, last year reporting $57.8 million from 106 events. The Theater was the fourth-ranked venue of its size at more than $18 million from 120 shows.
But the competitive dynamic of the market could change considerably down the road if proposed new arena projects in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Newark, N.J., come to fruition.
Some tour producers may appreciate an option. MSG, with its pricey stagehand bills and facility fee of more than $4 per ticket, is probably the most expensive arena in the country for producing shows, according to one agent. Still, the Garden remains a prestigious arena and is a milestone booking for any act.
December 14, 1996 - "This is a rare, high-strung kind of city," Buck Williams said. "But it's really electrifying playing in the Garden. The fans are phenomenal. They're loud, they're quite knowledgeable of the game. You don't really have to hype yourself up too much as a player to be focused and ready to play the game. It sort of jump-starts you."
Public Transportation
Take the A,B,C,D,E,F,1 OR 2 train to 34th St.
Parking
Meter parking is available on 31st & 34th Streets.
General Rules
No cameras or recording devices are allowed. No beverages allowed into the facility. No smoking in the arena.
Children Rules
Children under 2 do not need a ticket.
Directions to Madison Square Garden
(From Kennedy Airport) Take the Belt Parkway West to Grand Central Parkway West From there, take the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and proceed to Queens Midtown Tunnel and directly to midtown Manhattan. Madison Square Garden is located between 30th and 33rd Streets and 7th and 8th Avenues.
(From LaGuardia Airport) Take Grand Central Parkway West to Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Proceed to Queens Midtown Tunnel and directly to midtown Manhattan. Madison Square Garden is located between 30th and 34th Streets and 7th and 8th Avenues.
(From Newark Airport) Take New Jersey Turnpike North to Exit 16. Follow signs for the Lincoln Tunnel and once you get through, head south to 34th Street and east to 7th Avenue.
THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
| Madison Square Garden Ranking by USRT |
| Architecture |  | 7 |
| Concessions | | 4 |
| Scoreboard | | 4.5 |
| Ushers | | 7 |
| Fan Support | | 8 |
| Location | | 9 |
| Banners/History | | 8 |
| Entertainment | | 4.5 |
| Concourses/Fan Comfort | | 6 |
| Bonus: Spike Lee | | 3 |
| Bonus: Knishes | | 2 |
| Bonus: Pete's Beloved Knicks | | 5 |
| Total Score |  | 69 |
March 5, 2000 & March 17, 2002 - "Welcome to the magic world of Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena."
Sitting atop Penn Station in the heart of Midtown Manhattan just a few blocks south of Times Square. Madison Square Garden embodies the flashiness and electricity that defines the Big Apple.
Opened for business in 1968, this is the fourth arena to be named Madison Square Garden, the first opening in 1874. Along with being the home of the NBA Knicks and NHL Rangers, this arena is also home to such world renowned events as the Westminster Dog Show and the Millrose Indoor Track and Field Championships. Of couse being the Garden this place is also a hallowed boxing arena where many great bouts have taken place, most notably Ali-Frazier in 1971.
Getting to the Venue
Best advice ... take the subway or a train! Traffic is your typical Manhattan mess, and getting around this city is a chore. Parking can be had for $20-$25 right near the arena, and as cheap as $10 if you want to walk a few blocks. Free spaces are around but hard to find and you have to watch the restrictions on the free parking spots or you could find your car gone when you return.
Outside the Arena
Two major marquees dominate the exterior of the building with one overlooking 8th Avenue and one above the 7th Avenue entrance where one can access Penn Station. On the 8th Avenue side sits the entrance to the Madison Square Garden Theatre. Once known as the Felt Forum, this 4,000 seat auditorium is the site of many plays. The main entrance to the arena is at 7th Avenue where once inside you have the option of stepping inside one of many shops and places to eat before heading up to the arena entrance.
At the foot of the arena you will see an illustrious display of murals dedicated to the main tenants of the building while the floor is tiled with the names of many of the great performers who have graced the Garden floor. At the right is an escalator that takes people with preferred seating to their seat location. Get past the ticket windows and head to the many levels of escalators that will take you to your seating level. The Garden is unique in that the floor of the main arena is several stories above ground level, unlike other places where it is either at ground level or below.
The Concourses
Generally these are somewhat narrower than in most buildings we have seen, however this building contains more concourses than what we are used to seeing, so getting around the building is not really all that difficult and there are quite a few nooks to explore.. Concessions are grouped into two "Center Food Courts", where knishes are added to the pizzas burgers and other typical ballpark dreck. Yet at the same time unsurprising since New York seems to be a no-frills, traditional sports crowd. Also, two team stores can be found at opposite baselines with a great selections of Knicks, Rangers and Liberty (wheeee!) merchandise..
Premium Seating
Skyboxes ring the roof of the building, while a three level of suite configuration can be found in one end zone. Being an older building, there is no club level per se, but seat levels are clearly delineated by an aisle which rings the top of each level. It is the lowest level of seats that are most expensive. For premium seat holders there is a private facility called the Play by Play Sports Restaurant, offering a continental menu, games such as bubble hockey and foul shot and HDTV monitors to watch the games,
Seating Area
This is a single level bowl with red seats in lower sections and blue seats up high as fans enter into the bowl from four different levels. Above it, all suites ring most of the arena and in some spots they are double decked. An eight sided jumbotron hangs above center court and dot matrix boards sit atop the seating area at each baseline showing out of town scores, ads, and being New York the occasional stock ticker. With New York being the center of the world, one can ignore the game and watch the celebs that sit courtside here. Our personal favorite being Spike Lee, the only one who dresses and behaves as if he is sitting next to Joe Sixpack with his unbridled enthusiasm for his(and Peter's) beloved Knicks.
Retired Numbers and Banners
With the Knicks dating back to 1946 and the Rangers celebrating their 75th anniversary season these are two of the storied franchises in sports. Hanging proudly for the Knicks are banners for their two NBA titles in 1970 and 73 along with Division and Conference title banners. Seven Knick players have their number raised to the roof here as well as the number 613 for Coach Red Holzman. Opposite these banners are the Ranger Stanley Cup, Conference, Division, and President's Trophy banners as well as the names of Rod Gilbert and Ed Giacomin. With the Rangers most recent Stanley Cup, no longer will they hear the chant of "1940" when they hit the road. We don't mean to sound sexist, but we could really do without the Liberty banners...
Extra Points
This was Peter's first time ever at the Garden to see his beloved Knicks and on this day they went down to defeat at the hands of the Jazz...the multiple concourses reminded us of Buffalo's old Memorial Auditorium...Knicks seating capacity is 19,763 and every ticket has been sold since February 1993...Post Office building sits opposite the Garden at 8th Avenue(Peter's other hallowed ground)....
March 17, 2002 update...Ultimate Sports Road Trip karma??? Try jinx instead! We are now 0 for 3 in 2002 as the Detroit Red Wings scored a late goal and added an empty netter to beat the Rangers, 5-3. Pavel Bure, the Rangers need you fast!!! (hahahah). Maybe we'll have better luck on our next trip in the midwest.
Summary
Yes, this building has aged and it is not complete with every last new amenity found in newer facilities. However, let's face it this is THE Garden, a place someone with the initials MJ referred to as "The Mecca of Basketball", where Willis limped onto the court in game 7, one of the famous moments in NBA history. This is one of the oldest NBA and NHL arenas in North America, yet retains an aura and elegance that is unmatched and can not be duplicated, and here you are in the center of the greatest city on the planet. There is nothing shabby, dog-eared or negative one can find here - it is truly one of sports' hallowed grounds and a venue to be experienced again and again.
