Madison Square Garden
4 Penn Plaza | also 3 Penn Plaza, 8 Penn Plaza, 9 Penn Plaza | Midtown South
Open on the map19 entries
The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1960
Irving Felt buys the right to build a new Garden over Pennsylvania Station
Irving Mitchell Felt, president of Graham-Paige, which had bought a 40 percent stake in the Garden in 1959, purchased the Pennsylvania Railroad's rights to build at Penn Station in November 1960. The old arena on Eighth Avenue at 50th Street had poor sight lines in its upper deck, a problem that grew as Knicks crowds did. The plan meant tearing down the above-ground parts of the original station.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1968
The fourth Madison Square Garden opens above the platforms of Penn Station
The current Garden opened on February 11, 1968, as one of the first arenas built above the platforms of an active railroad station, constructed by Robert E. McKee of El Paso, Texas. Public outcry over clearing the Beaux-Arts Pennsylvania Station for it helped prompt the founding of the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. Architectural historian Vincent Scully contrasted the grand old entrance with the cramped new one.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1968
The Felt Forum opens under the arena, named for company president Irving Felt
When the Garden opened, the theater beneath its arena was called the Felt Forum, after company president Irving Mitchell Felt. It became the Paramount Theater in the early 1990s, then The Theater at Madison Square Garden, and has carried sponsor names including WaMu Theater from 2007 until 2009 and Hulu Theater from 2018 to 2023. In 2026 Infosys took over the naming rights. It seats between 2,000 and 5,600 people.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1970
Hobbled Willis Reed walks onto the Garden floor for Game 7 and the Knicks win their first title
Knicks captain Willis Reed had torn a thigh muscle in Game 5 of the 1970 NBA Finals and missed Game 6, when the Lakers behind Wilt Chamberlain's 45 points tied the series. For Game 7 at Madison Square Garden he took painkiller injections and limped out during warmups. The crowd erupted, Reed hit two jump shots, and the Knicks went on to win Game 7 and their first NBA championship.
Source: nba.com
- 1970
The Doors record much of Absolutely Live at the Felt Forum
Most tracks on the Doors' album Absolutely Live were taken from two shows at the Felt Forum on January 17 and 18, 1970. The theater has hosted many concerts since, including a four-night run by the Grateful Dead in December 1971. The theater also hosts boxing when the main arena is unavailable, including Mike Tyson's fight against Sammy Scaff on December 6, 1985.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1971
Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century
On March 8, 1971, undefeated heavyweights Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali met at the Garden in the first bout between two unbeaten world champions. Ali had been stripped of his title for refusing military induction. A sellout crowd of 20,455 paid a $1.5 million gate, each fighter was guaranteed $2.5 million, and Frazier won a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1974
John Lennon joins Elton John on stage in his last major concert appearance
Elton John bet Lennon that their recording Whatever Gets You thru the Night would reach number one, and a skeptical Lennon promised to appear at one of Elton's shows if it did. It topped the charts, and on Thanksgiving night, November 28, 1974, Lennon came on stage at the Garden. It was his last major concert appearance, and very little film of it survives.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1985
WrestleMania debuts at the Garden with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in the main event
The first WrestleMania took place at Madison Square Garden on March 31, 1985. Hulk Hogan and television star Mr. T teamed up against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main event, while Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali and Liberace were part of the show. Andre the Giant also faced Big John Studd in a bodyslam challenge. WWE describes the night as the start of a new era for the company, staged in what it calls "The World's Most Famous Arena."
Source: wwe.com
- 1991
A $200 million renovation by Ellerbe Becket reshapes the arena
In 1986 Gulf and Western announced a new $150 million Garden on the site of today's Hudson Yards, but costs doubled and the owners chose to renovate instead. They spent $200 million in 1991, with Ellerbe Becket as designer. The work enlarged bathrooms, added a new ventilation system, refurbished both teams' locker rooms and replaced every seat with new cushioned teal and violet ones. Critics said it made the building feel corporate.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1994
The Rangers rally from 3-0 but lose Game 5 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final at the Garden
The Rangers led the 1994 Cup Final three games to one and hosted Game 5 at the Garden, chasing their first title since 1940. Vancouver went up 3-0 early in the third period, and New York answered with three goals in 5:35, the last by captain Mark Messier. Dave Babych scored for the Canucks 29 seconds later, and Vancouver added two more to win 6-3 and send the series back west.
Source: espn.co.uk
- 2001
The Concert for New York City packs the Garden for a six-hour World Trade Center benefit
The Concert for New York City filled Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2001, with a six-hour benefit for World Trade Center relief. Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, the Who, Billy Joel and Elton John played, Saturday Night Live cast members did comedy, and thousands of firefighters, police officers and rescue workers attended. By November 1 it had raised more than $30 million for the Robin Hood Relief Fund.
Source: billboard.com
- 2003
The Wiggles sell out 12 shows in a row, breaking Bruce Springsteen's record
The Australian children's group The Wiggles played twelve sold-out shows in a row at the theater in 2003, a record that broke the one Bruce Springsteen had held. The room has also hosted family shows, including an annual A Christmas Carol that ran from 1994 through 2003 and a Wizard of Oz run from 1997 to 1999 with Mickey Rooney as the Wizard.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2011
A $1 billion renovation rebuilds the Garden over three off-seasons
The second major renovation was done in phases over three off-seasons so the Knicks and Rangers were not displaced. The lower bowl was completed in 2011 and the upper bowl and suites in 2012, followed by the Chase Square lobby, ceiling-hung walkways and a new scoreboard in time for the 2013-14 season. The upper concourse moved to the eighth floor. The Liberty played in Newark during the work.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2013
The City Council gives the Garden a 10-year operating permit, not one in perpetuity
When the Garden sought to renew its permit to operate above Penn Station without an end date, Community Board 5 voted 36 to 0 against it in February 2013. On July 24 the City Council voted 47 to 1 for a ten-year permit instead, and Speaker Christine Quinn called it a first step toward a new Penn Station. When the term ran out, the council voted 48 to 0 on September 14, 2023, for a five-year renewal, the shortest ever given.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2016
UFC 205 brings mixed martial arts to the Garden after New York lifts its ban
On November 12, 2016, the UFC staged its first New York City show, UFC 205, at Madison Square Garden. The card was headlined by Alvarez against McGregor. It was also the organization's first show since New York State ended its ban on mixed martial arts.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2017
Phish plays 13 straight nights at the Garden without repeating a song
During its 13-night "Baker's Dozen" residency in summer 2017, Phish played 26 sets and 237 songs at Madison Square Garden without repeating one. The run took loose inspiration from donut flavors, with Federal Donuts of Philadelphia handing out donuts at the door each night. The band also webcast the shows and archived them on its LivePhish platform, so fans far from the arena could follow along.
Source: rollingstone.com
- 2020
An Allman Brothers 50th-anniversary tribute plays the Garden days before the pandemic shutdown
On March 10, 2020, former Allman Brothers Band members including co-founder Jaimoe, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes and Oteil Burbridge played nearly four hours of the band's songs at the Garden in a 50th-anniversary show called "The Brothers." It also served as a send-off for Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks, who both died in 2017. By March 12, New York had banned events of more than 500 people because of the coronavirus.
Source: rollingstone.com
- 2021
Stephen Curry breaks the NBA three-point record at the Garden
On December 14, 2021, the Warriors' Stephen Curry passed Ray Allen's career total of 2,973 three-pointers to become the NBA's all-time leader, finishing the night with 2,977. He set the record at Madison Square Garden, in a game the Warriors won over the Knicks by a score of 105 to 96.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2026
The PWHL plays its first Garden game and sets a U.S. women's hockey attendance record
On April 4, 2026, the New York Sirens beat the Seattle Torrent 2-1 in a shootout in the Professional Women's Hockey League's first game at Madison Square Garden. The crowd of 18,006 set a United States attendance record for women's hockey. An earlier professional women's game at the Garden, a players' association tour stop in February 2021, had been played without fans because of pandemic restrictions.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Madison Square GardenWikipedia
Nearby
- One Penn Plaza250 West 34th Street | 9 entries
- Madison Square Garden390 7th Avenue | 4 entries
- St. John the Baptist Church209 West 30th Street | 11 entries
- James A. Farley Building421 8th Avenue | 13 entries
- Hotel Irvin308 West 30th Street | 4 entries
- New Yorker Hotel481 8th Avenue | 12 entries