NEW YORK CITY - Madison Square Garden (19,763)

[altachlo87]

the funny thing is that...i know this Madison Square Garden from the movie <<Godzilla>> years ago!!! however, i think it is quite small comparing to other stadia!

[vertigosufferer]

Quite shocked to discover that, that beautifull Old Penn Station was demlolished, to make way for the arena. MSG does have a famous name, but visually, it's not very inspiring.

[satit28]

i wonder.........
will it change to Madison "Cube" Garden like in Futurama??...........

[TalB]

I only gave it an 8 b/c of the fact that it did replace Penn Station and that ticket prices are too high. I will admit that MSG won't win a beauty contest, but it is still tends to be on the top of great venues. In ariel shots, it tends to fit in with the city than when it's shown at street level.

[asohn]

Originally Posted by altachlo87

the funny thing is that...i know this Madison Square Garden from the movie <<Godzilla>> years ago!!! however, i think it is quite small comparing to other stadia!

Its not a stadium, its an arena. And for an arena, its on the large side.

[TalB]

MSG was actually built as a part of a complex known as Penn Plaza in which the whole point was to attach an office building on the 7th Ave side.

[A42251]

MSG may have an ugly exterior, but the atmosphere when you watch a Knicks game there can't be beat (and I have been to many arenas). Unlike other arenas, where there are multiple levels of skyboxes, all of MSG's skyboxes are at the top of the building. This means that the seats are all relatvely close to the floor and, thus, it gets really loud.

[Quente]

To me, MSG is simply a container (and an uninspired one at that); it's the events that take place there which activate it and give it any sort of interest. While you could certainly make that argument about any sports venue (container vs. content), there are many that are quite inspiring/awesome when they're empty (Maracana in Rio and the Astrodome in Houston come to mind). MSG however is not one of those venues!

Though it's been years since I went to an event there, I still remember going to MSG to watch Brazil beat Italy in Mexico City during the 1970 World Cup on closed circuit TV. After the game, we all danced around the large screens at the bottom of the arena and I remember seeing all the tiny Italian flags that had been so enthusiastically waved during the game, broken across the backs of the seats - made quite an impression on my 7 year old mind.

[TalB]

The arena has changed since then after Mike Dolan had the place rennovated.

[MoreOrLess]

Originally Posted by Iain1974

I can't explain why, but I'd thought MSG was significantly older that 1968. Looks decent but nothing special as an arena goes.

I'm much more impressed bt the old station I'm afraid.

There have been other MSG's in the past going back to the 19th century...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Square_Garden

[hkskyline]

Madison Square Garden renovation will cost more, take longer and include luxury `supersuite'
3 June 2009

NEW YORK (AP) - A "supersuite" that could hold 300 people and luxury suites with kitchens, full bars and fireplaces will be offered to big spenders at the new Madison Square Garden, officials said Tuesday in an update of plans to upgrade the 41-year-old arena.

The renovation of the nation's busiest arena will take a year longer than planned -- the upper level won't be finished until the beginning of the NBA and NHL's 2012-2013 season -- and will go over its $500 million budget, MSG Vice Chairman Hank Ratner said.

But, "we're not going to be looking for anyone else to pay for it," Ratner said.

The city and state have committed hundreds of millions in bonds and other incentives to the Yankees and Mets' new stadiums and a planned arena for the New Jersey Nets.

Ratner said no decisions had been made on pricing, including for the 20 floor-level luxury suites and the 5,000-square-foot supersuite. But he said the arena is trying to learn from other sports venues in a tanking economy. The Yankees cut the price of over 100 front-row seats from $2,500 to $1,250 last month after seeing empty rows of the top-priced spots game after game.

The Garden officials showed reporters two mock-ups of a midlevel and floor-level luxury suite, which will soon be shopped to corporate sponsors. The suites behind the 23rd row at the Garden included granite-topped kitchen islands behind stadium seating; the floor-level suite featured formal dining tables, full bars and a fireplace.

The Garden abandoned plans for 19 "ledge suites" on the higher levels and combined 10 luxury suites to create the one supersuite since it introduced the plans a year ago.

Patrons will have 40 more places to buy concessions, including "blue seat bars" at the upper levels in the new arena, officials said. The renovation won't change the exterior of the drum-shaped arena, although knocking down some walls on the inside would give patrons street views from wider concourses. The iconic, domed ceiling will be raised and the angle of every seat will be changed to give better views from the top, officials said.

Ratner gave no date when construction would begin, but said 150 MSG employees were in the process of moving out to offices across the street to make way for the expansion. The renovations are planned largely during summer months, creating no schedule changes for the NBA's New York Knicks and NHL's New York Rangers, although Ratner said the arena was still working on the schedule for the New York Liberty women's basketball team.

The Garden opted for the renovation a year ago after backing out of long negotiations with the state and city to sell the arena and move into a landmark post office building a block away.

The decision stalled the $14 billion plan to renovate Pennsylvania Station and build office towers in the neighborhood, where the Garden's spot had been seen as prime real estate.

Ratner said the Garden hadn't reconsidered its move.

"We are renovating MSG, period," he said.

MSG, the Knicks, Liberty and Rangers are owned by Cablevision Systems Corp.

[Jim856796]

Madison Square Garden's interior bowl consists of one big tier which is divided into three sections and two floors of luxury boxes. And there's even a 5,000-seat performing arts theatre right below the arena. If only the renovation involved gutting the arena and give it an exterior like all the other indoor arenas constructed in the 2000s have. But with the performing arts venue below it, any major renovation to the facility wold be difficult.

[nyrmetros]

Does anyone have picstures of MSG prior to the 1991 rennovation? I really want to see how the blueseats looked back then.

[jay stew]

Pic of MSG pre-renovations.

image hosted on flickr

[Lord David]

Time for a new arena maybe? Say a 30,000 convertible one at the rail yards (the proposed backup site for the NYC's 2012 Olympic Stadium)?

Perhaps the "demolished" Madison Square Garden could turn into an actual garden? Naturally one would want to propose some sort of MSG museum there.

[nyrmetros]

Originally Posted by jay stew

Pic of MSG pre-renovations.

image hosted on flickr

ahhh thanks for fidning that. I have hardly ever seen any pictures from inside MSG prior to the 1991 rennovation.

[nyrmetros]

Originally Posted by Lord David

Time for a new arena maybe? Say a 30,000 convertible one at the rail yards (the proposed backup site for the NYC's 2012 Olympic Stadium)?

Perhaps the "demolished" Madison Square Garden could turn into an actual garden? Naturally one would want to propose some sort of MSG museum there.

MSG will be undergoing a mind boggling rennovation very soon.. details to come.

[nyrmetros]

[nyrmetros]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/1...r-knicks-walsh

The other story that has progressed in lock step with Walsh's free-agent plan is a $775 million-$850 million renovation of Madison Square Garden that is expected to be partially completed by 2011-12 season. Essentially, everything but the iconic exterior and ceiling will be gutted and modernized, so that MSG's outdated amenities finally will measure up to its reputation.

"To continue to attract the greatest events in the world, the world's most famous arena will become the world's most state-of-the-art arena," MSG president and CEO Hank Ratner said.

It doesn't take much creative license to see that Dolan isn't spending nearly $1 billion because he wants the paying customers to be more comfortable. In addition to perks like widened concourses, windows opening up to city views, and better sightlines from both the upper and lower bowls, the transformation of the Garden will include something never before attempted -- something that will solidify it as the proper playpen for the sport's biggest star, should he choose to embrace it. The building will feature 20 court-level suites the size of Manhattan apartments -- and with a similar price tag. Each will have a living room and a fireplace and access to courtside seats, with the expected price to exceed $1 million for a year's worth of Garden events.

The facelift is being financed entirely by MSG, making it difficult to believe that Dolan expects Walsh's simultaneous renovation of the Knicks to be sidetracked by fickle free agents or a work stoppage that threatens to wipe out a good chunk of the first season in the renovated building.

[nyrmetros]