MSG The Garden The World's Most Famous Arena The Mecca | |
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_-_Full_(48124330357).jpg) Madison Square Garden in 2019 | |
| Address | 4Pennsylvania Plaza |
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| Location | New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°45′2″N73°59′37″W / 40.75056°N 73.99361°W /40.75056; -73.99361 |
| Public transit | at34th Street–Penn Station |
| Owner | Madison Square Garden Entertainment |
| Capacity |
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| Field size | 820,000 sq ft (76,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 29, 1964[3] |
| Opened | |
| Renovated |
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| Construction cost | |
| Architect |
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| Structural engineer | Severud Associates[5] |
| Services engineer | Syska & Hennessy, Inc.[6] |
| General contractor | Turner/Del E. Webb[6] |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| msg | |
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known asthe Garden or by its initialsMSG, is a multi-purpose indoorarena inNew York City. It is located inMidtown Manhattan betweenSeventh andEighth avenues from 31st to 33rd streets abovePennsylvania Station. It is the fourth venue to bear the name “Madison Square Garden”; the first two, opened in1879 and1890, were located onMadison Square, on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue, with thethird Madison Square Garden (1925) farther uptown at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street.
The Garden hosts professional ice hockey, professional basketball, boxing, mixed martial arts, concerts, ice shows, circuses, professional wrestling and other forms of sports and entertainment. It is close to other midtown Manhattan landmarks, including theEmpire State Building,Koreatown andMacy's atHerald Square. It is home to theNew York Rangers of theNational Hockey League (NHL), theNew York Knicks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and was home to theNew York Liberty of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2017.
Originally calledMadison Square Garden Center, the Garden opened on February 11, 1968, on the site of the oldPennsylvania Station. It is the oldest major sporting facility in theNew York metropolitan area. It is the oldest arena in the NBA and the second-oldest in the NHL, after Seattle'sClimate Pledge Arena. As of 2016, MSG is also the second-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales.[7] Including its two major renovations in 1991 and 2013, the Garden's total construction cost was approximatelyUS$1.1 billion, and it has been ranked as one of the ten most expensive arena venues ever built.[8] It is part of thePennsylvania Plaza office and retail complex, named for the railway station. Severalother operating entities related to the Garden share its name.
Madison Square is formed by the intersection of5th Avenue andBroadway at23rd Street in Manhattan. It was named afterJames Madison, the fourthpresident of the United States.[9]
Two venues called Madison Square Garden were located just northeast of the square,the original Garden from 1879 to 1890, andthe second Garden from 1890 to 1925. The first, leased toP. T. Barnum,[10] was demolished in 1890 because of a leaky roof and dangerous balconies that had collapsed, resulting in deaths. The second was designed by noted architectStanford White. The new building was built by a syndicate that includedJ. P. Morgan,Andrew Carnegie,P. T. Barnum,[11]Darius Mills,James Stillman andW. W. Astor. White gave them aBeaux-Arts structure with aMoorish feel, including a minaret-like tower modeled afterGiralda, the bell tower of theCathedral of Seville,[11] soaring 32 stories, the city's second-tallest building at the time[citation needed] and dominatingMadison Square Park. It was 200 feet (61 m) by 485 feet (148 m), and the main hall, which was the largest in the world, measured 200 feet (61 m) by 350 feet (110 m) with permanent seating for 8,000 people and floor space for thousands more. It had a 1,200-seat theater, a concert hall with a capacity of 1,500, the largest restaurant in the city, and a roof garden cabaret.[10] The building cost $3 million.[10] Madison Square Garden II was unsuccessful like the first Garden,[12] and theNew York Life Insurance Company, which held the mortgage on it, decided to tear it down in 1925 to make way for a new headquarters building, which would become the landmarkCass Gilbert-designedNew York Life Building.
Athird Madison Square Garden opened in a new location, onEighth Avenue between49th and50th streets, from 1925 to 1968. Groundbreaking on the third Madison Square Garden took place on January 9, 1925.[13] Designed by the noted theater architectThomas W. Lamb, it was built at the cost of $4.75 million in 249 days by boxing promoterTex Rickard;[10] the arena was dubbed "The House That Tex Built".[14] The arena was 200 feet (61 m) by 375 feet (114 m), with seating on three levels, and a maximum capacity of 18,496 spectators for boxing.[10]
Demolition commenced in 1968 after the opening of the current Garden,[15] and was completed in early 1969. The site is now the location ofOne Worldwide Plaza.
In February 1959, former automobile manufacturerGraham-Paige purchased a 40% interest in the Madison Square Garden for $4 million[16] and later gained control.[17] In November 1960, Graham-Paige presidentIrving Mitchell Felt purchased from thePennsylvania Railroad the rights to build atPenn Station.[18] To build the new facility, the above-ground portions ofthe original Pennsylvania Station were torn down.[19]
The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above the platforms of an active railroad station. It was an engineering feat constructed byRobert E. McKee ofEl Paso, Texas with the contribution of Arq. Leonel Viera's design for theCilindro Municipal.[20] Public outcry over the demolition of the Pennsylvania Station structure—an outstanding example ofBeaux-Arts architecture—led to the creation of theNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The venue opened on February 11, 1968. Comparing the new and the old Penn Station, Yale architectural historianVincent Scully wrote, "One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat."[21]
In 1972, Felt proposed moving theKnicks andRangers to a then incomplete venue in theNew Jersey Meadowlands, theMeadowlands Sports Complex. The Garden was also the home arena for theNY Raiders/NY Golden Blades of theWorld Hockey Association. The Meadowlands would eventually host its own NBA and NHL teams, theNew Jersey Nets and theNew Jersey Devils, respectively. TheNew York Giants andJets of theNational Football League (NFL) also relocated there. In 1977, the arena was sold toGulf and Western Industries. Felt's efforts fueled controversy between the Garden and New York City over real estate taxes. The disagreement again flared in 1980 when the Garden again challenged its tax bill. The arena has enjoyed tax-free status since the 1980s, under the condition that all Knicks and Rangers home games must be hosted at MSG, lest it lose this exemption. As such, when the Rangers have played neutral-site games—even those in New York City, such as the2018 NHL Winter Classic, they have always been designated as the visiting team.[22] The tax agreement includes anact of God clause, which allowed Knicks and Rangers home games to be played elsewhere during the2020 NBA Bubble and2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, respectively, because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[23]
In 1984, the four streets immediately surrounding the Garden were designated as Joe Louis Plaza, in honor of boxerJoe Louis, who had made eight successful title defenses in theprevious Madison Square Garden.[24][25]
In April 1986, Gulf and Western announced that they would build a new Madison Square Garden a few blocks away on the site of present-dayHudson Yards. The plan would cost an estimated $150 million and included the demolition of the 1964 building to replace it with a new office tower development.[26] After years of planning, Gulf and Western decided against building a new arena in favor of a renovation after estimated costs doubled during the process.[27][28]
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Garden owners spent $200 million in 1991 to renovate facilities and add 89 suites in place of hundreds of upper-tier seats. The project was designed byEllerbe Becket. The renovation was criticized for perceived corporatization. Additionally, the renovation made bathrooms larger, expanded menus, added a new ventilation system, replaced all of the seats with new cushioned teal and violet seats, and refurbished both home teams' locker rooms.[29]
In 2000, current MSG owner James Dolan was quoted as saying that a new arena was being considered as the current building was starting to show its age.[30]
In 2004–2005,Cablevision battled with the City of New York over the proposedWest Side arena, which was canceled. Cablevision then announced plans to raze the Garden, replace it with high-rise commercial buildings, and build a new Garden one block away at the site of theJames Farley Post Office. Meanwhile, a new project to renovate and modernize the Garden completed phase one in time for theRangers andKnicks' 2011–12 seasons,[31] though the vice president of the Garden says he remains committed to the installation of an extension of Penn Station at the Farley Post Office site. While the Knicks and Rangers were not displaced, theNew York Liberty played at thePrudential Center inNewark, New Jersey, during the renovation.
Madison Square Garden is the last of theNBA andNHL arenas not to be named after a corporate sponsor.[32]
Madison Square Garden's $1 billion second renovation took place mainly over three off-seasons. It was set to begin after the 2009–10 hockey/basketball seasons, but was delayed until after the 2010–11 seasons. Renovation was done in phases, with the majority of the work done in the summer months to minimize disruptions to the NHL and NBA seasons. While the Rangers and Knicks were not displaced,[33][34] the Liberty played their home games through the 2013 season atPrudential Center inNewark, New Jersey, during the renovation.[35][36]
New features include a larger entrance with interactive kiosks, retail, climate-controlled space, and broadcast studio; larger concourses; new lighting and LED video systems with HDTV; new seating; two new pedestrian walkways suspended from the ceiling to allow fans to look directly down onto the games being played below; more dining options; and improved dressing rooms, locker rooms, green rooms, upgraded roof, and production offices. The lower bowl concourse, called the Madison Concourse, remains on the sixth floor. The upper bowl concourse was relocated to the eighth floor and it is known as the Garden Concourse. The seventh floor houses the new Madison Suites and the Madison Club. The upper bowl was built on top of these suites. The rebuilt concourses are wider than their predecessors, and include large windows that offer views of the city streets around the Garden.[37]
Construction of the lower bowl (Phase 1) was completed in 2011.[38] An extended off-season for the Garden permitted some advance work to begin on the new upper bowl, which was completed in 2012. This advance work included the West Balcony on the tenth floor, taking the place of sky-boxes, and new end-ice 300 level seating. The construction of the upper bowl along with the Madison Suites and the Madison Club (Phase 2) were completed for the 2012–13 NHL and NBA seasons.[39][40] Phase 3, which involved the construction of the new lobby known as Chase Square, the Chase Bridges on the 10th floor, and the new scoreboard, was completed for the 2013–14 NHL and NBA seasons.[41][42]
Madison Square Garden is seen as an obstacle in the renovation and future expansion ofPenn Station,[43] which expanded in 2021 with the opening ofMoynihan Train Hall at theJames Farley Post Office,[44] and some have proposed moving MSG to other sites in western Manhattan. On February 15, 2013,Manhattan Community Board 5 voted 36–0 against granting a renewal to MSG's operating permit in perpetuity and proposed a 10-year limit instead in order to build a new Penn Station where the arena is currently standing. Manhattan borough presidentScott Stringer said, "Moving the arena is an important first step to improving Penn Station."The Madison Square Garden Company responded by saying that "[i]t is incongruous to think that M.S.G. would be considering moving."[45]
In May 2013, four architecture firms –SHoP Architects,SOM,H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, andDiller Scofidio + Renfro – submitted proposals[46] for a new Penn Station. SHoP Architects recommended moving Madison Square Garden to the Morgan Postal Facility a few blocks southwest, as well as removing2 Penn Plaza and redeveloping other towers, and an extension of theHigh Line to Penn Station.[43] Meanwhile, SOM proposed moving Madison Square Garden to the area just south of theJames Farley Post Office, and redeveloping the area above Penn Station as amixed-use development with commercial, residential, and recreational space.[43] H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture wanted to move the arena to a new pier west ofJacob K. Javits Convention Center, four blocks west of the current station and arena. Then, according to H3's plan, fourskyscrapers would be built, one at each of the four corners of the new Penn Station superblock, with aroof garden on top of the station; the Farley Post Office would become an education center.[43] Finally, Diller Scofidio + Renfro proposed a mixed-use development on the site, with spas, theaters, a cascading park, a pool, and restaurants; Madison Square Garden would be moved two blocks west, next to the post office. DS+F also proposed high-tech features in the station, such as train arrival and departure boards on the floor, andapps that would inform waiting passengers of ways to occupy their time until they board their trains.[43] Madison Square Garden rejected the notion that it would be relocated, and called the plans "pie-in-the-sky".[43]
In June 2013, theNew York City Council Committee on Land Use voted unanimously to give the Garden a ten-year permit, at the end of which period the owners would either have to relocate or go back through the permission process.[47] On July 24, the City Council voted to give the Garden a 10-year operating permit by a vote of 47–1. "This is the first step in finding a new home for Madison Square Garden and building a new Penn Station that is as great as New York and suitable for the 21st century," said City Council speakerChristine Quinn. "This is an opportunity to reimagine and redevelop Penn Station as a world-class transportation destination."[48]
In October 2014, the Morgan facility was selected as the ideal area for Madison Square Garden to be moved, following the 2014 MAS Summit in New York City. More plans for the station were discussed.[49][50] Then, in January 2016, New York GovernorAndrew Cuomo announced a redevelopment plan for Penn Station that would involve the removal ofThe Theater at Madison Square Garden, but would otherwise leave the arena intact.[51][52]
In June 2023, nearing the end of the Garden's ten-year permit granted by the city, theMetropolitan Transportation Authority, along withAmtrak andNJ Transit, filed a report stating that MSG is no longer compatible with Penn Station, with the report saying, "MSG's existing configuration and property boundaries impose severe constraints on the station that impede the safe and efficient movement of passengers and restrict efforts to implement improvements, particularly at the street and platform levels."[53] On September 14, 2023, the New York City Council voted 48–0 to renew the operating permit for Madison Square Garden for five years, the shortest ever granted by the city to the Garden.[54]
Madison Square Garden hosts approximately 320 events a year. It is the home to theNew York Rangers of the National Hockey League, and theNew York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. Before 2020, the New York Rangers, New York Knicks, and the Madison Square Garden arena itself were all owned by the Madison Square Garden Company. The MSG Company split into two entities in 2020, with the Garden arena and other non-sports assets spun off intoMadison Square Garden Entertainment and the Rangers and Knicks remaining with the original company, renamedMadison Square Garden Sports. Both entities remain under the voting control ofJames Dolan and his family. The arena is also host to theBig East men's basketball tournament and was home to the finals of theNational Invitation Tournament from the beginning of its existence up until 2022.[55] It also hosts select home games for theSt. John's Red Storm, representingSt. John's University in men'scollege basketball, and almost any other kind of indoor activity that draws large audiences, such as theWestminster Kennel Club Dog Show and the2004 Republican National Convention.
The Garden was home of theNBA draft andNIT Season Tip-Off,[56] as well as the former New York City home of theRingling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus andDisney on Ice; all four events are now held at theBarclays Center inBrooklyn. It served theNew York Cosmos for half of their home games during the1983–84 NASL Indoor season.[57]
Many ofboxing's biggest fights were held at Madison Square Garden, including theRoberto Durán–Ken Buchanan affair,the firstMuhammad Ali –Joe Frazier bout and the US debut ofAnthony Joshua that ended in a huge upset when he was beaten byAndy Ruiz. Before promoters such asDon King andBob Arum moved boxing toLas Vegas, Nevada, Madison Square Garden was a popular location for boxing. The original18+1⁄2 ft × 18+1⁄2 ft (5.6 m × 5.6 m) ring, which was brought from the second and third generation of the Garden, was officially retired on September 19, 2007, and donated to theInternational Boxing Hall of Fame after 82 years of service.[58] A 20 ft × 20 ft (6.1 m × 6.1 m) ring replaced it beginning on October 6 of that same year.[59] TheUFC has hosted many events at Madison Square Garden in recent years and has put on some of the highest grossing PPV events in history.
Madison Square Garden has hosted many notableWWE (formerly WWF and WWWF) events, and it's affectionally known as WWE's "home office".[60] The Garden has hosted threeWrestleMania events, including thefirst edition of the annual marquee event for WWE, as well as the10th and20th editions. Madison Square Garden is also one of two venues (the other beingAllstate Arena) to host WrestleMania three times.
It also hosted theRoyal Rumble in2000 and2008;SummerSlam in1988,1991 and1998; as well asSurvivor Series in1996,2002 and2011. Multiple episodes of WWE's weekly shows,Raw andSmackDown have been broadcast from the Arena as well.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) andRing of Honor (ROH) hosted theirG1 Supercard supershow at the venue on April 6, 2019. A year later it was announced thatNew Japan Pro-Wrestling would return to Madison Square Garden alone on August 22, 2020, for NJPW Wrestle Dynasty.[61] In May 2020, NJPW announced that the Wrestle Dynasty show would be postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[62][63]
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Madison Square Garden hosts more high-profile concert events than any other venue in New York City. It has been the venue forMichael Jackson'sBad World Tour in 1988,George Harrison'sThe Concert for Bangladesh,The Concert for New York City following theSeptember 11 attacks,John Lennon's final concert appearance during anElton John concert on Thanksgiving Night in 1974 beforehis murder in 1980, andElvis Presley, who gave four sold-out performances in 1972, his first and last ever in New York City.Parliament-Funkadelic headlined numerous sold-out shows in 1977 and 1978.Kiss, who were formed in the arena's city and three of whose members were city-born, did six shows during their second half of the 1970s main attraction peak or "heyday": four sold out winter shows at the arena in 1977 (February 18 and December 14–16), and another two shows only this time in summer for a decade-ender in 1979 (July 24–25). They played their final two shows at the venue on the December 1 and 2, 2023, the 50th anniversary year of their formation.
Billy Joel, another city-born and fellow 1970's pop star, played his first Garden show on December 14, 1978, with that month's follow ups on the 15th, 16th and 18th. Joel would eventually dominate the record for most concerts performed at Madison Square Garden.[64][65]
Led Zeppelin's three-night stand in July 1973 was recorded and released as both afilm andalbum titledThe Song Remains The Same.The Police played their final show of their reunion tour at the Garden in 2008.
In the summer of 2017,Phish held a 13-night series of concerts called "The Bakers' Dozen", during which the band played 237 unique songs, repeating none during the entire run. The Garden commemorated "The Bakers' Dozen" by adding a Phish-themed banner to the rafters.[66] With their first MSG show taking place on December 30, 1994, Phish has regularly played annual multi-night runs, typically around New Year's Eve.[67] As of January 2025, Phish has performed 87 times at MSG.[68][69]
Elton John once held the all-time record for the greatest number of appearances at the Garden with 64 shows. In a 2009 press release, John was quoted as saying "Madison Square Garden is my favorite venue in the whole world. I chose to have my 60th birthday concert there, because of all the incredible memories I've had playing the venue."[71] A DVD recording was released asElton 60—Live at Madison Square Garden.[72]
The current record-holder for most appearances isBilly Joel, who as of July 2024 had played the Garden 150 times. That figure includes a "residency" of monthly concerts that he started in 2014 and played nearly continuously for a decade.[73] Joel has stated that the site "has the best acoustics, the best audiences, the best reputation, and the best history of great artists who have played there. It is the iconic, holy temple of rock and roll for most touring acts."[71] Joel would set his first record for most consecutive performances by a music artist at Madison Square Garden in 2006 after performing 12 consecutive concerts at the arena from January to April of that year.[64][74] In December 2013, Joel would also be named as Madison Square Garden's first ever music "franchise" with this honor also making it so he would join theNew York Knicks,New York Rangers andNew York Liberty in being recognized as an original Madison Square Garden franchise.[64][75]
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TheGrateful Dead performed in the venue 53 times from 1979 to 1994, with the first show being held on January 7, 1979, and the last being on October 19, 1994; their longest run was in September 1991.[76]
The Who have headlined at the venue 32 times, including a four-night stand in 1974, a five-night stand in 1979, a six-night stand in 1996, and four-night stands in 2000 and 2002. They also performed atThe Concert for New York City in 2001.[77]
On March 10, 2020, a 50th-anniversary celebration ofThe Allman Brothers Band titled 'The Brothers' took place, featuring the five surviving members of the final Allman Brothers lineup andChuck Leavell.Dickey Betts was invited to participate but his health precluded him from traveling.[78] This was the final concert at the venue before theCOVID-19 pandemic forced its closure. Live shows returned to The Garden when theFoo Fighters headlined a show there on June 20, 2021. The show was for a vaccinated audience only and was the first 100 percent capacity concert in a New York arena since the start of the pandemic.[79]
It hosted the1976 Democratic National Convention[80] and 1980 Democratic National Convention[80] with Carter, the 1992 Democratic National Convention[81] with Clinton, and the2004 Republican National Convention[82] with Bush, and hosted theNFL draft for many years (later held at Garden-leasedRadio City Music Hall, now shared between cities of NFL franchises).[83][84] TheJeopardy! Teen Tournament and several installments ofCelebrity Jeopardy! were filmed at MSG in 1999,[85] as well as several episodes ofWheel of Fortune in 1999 and 2013.[86][87]
TheNew York City Police Academy,[88]Baruch College/CUNY, andYeshiva University also hold their annual graduation ceremonies at Madison Square Garden. It hosted theGrammy Awards in 1972, 1997, 2003, and 2018 (which are normally held inLos Angeles) as well as theLatin Grammy Awards of 2006.
The group and Best in Show competitions of theWestminster Kennel Club Dog Show have been held at MSG every February since 1877. Its original run at MSG through 2020 was the arena's longest continuous tenancy. In 2021, the event moved toTarrytown, and later theUSTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[89][90] The show returned to MSG in 2025 for the first time since 2020.[91]
Madison Square Garden was the location of a1939 Nazi rally sponsored by theGerman American Bund.[92] According to the World War Two Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, the rally falsely presented itself as a "Pro-American Rally".[93] According to NPR, the rally had more than 20,000 people in attendance. The rally featured a 30-foot banner of former American presidentGeorge Washington, featured next to twoAmerican flag banners and two banners featuring theNaziSwastika.[94]
The Garden hosted theStanley Cup Final andNBA Finals simultaneously on two occasions: in 1972 and 1994.
MSG has hosted the following All-Star Games:
Mike Krzyzewski recorded two notable milestones at the arena. In 2011, he surpassedBob Knight as the coach with the most wins inNCAA Division I men's basketball history whenDuke defeatedMichigan State. Four years later, a Duke victory over St. John's gave Coach K his 1,000th career win.[95]
Stephen Curry broke the NBA'sall-time three-point scoring record at Madison Square Garden, on December 14, 2021. TheWarriors defeated the Knicks 105–96 with Curry recording his 2,977th career three-pointer by the end of the game, eclipsingRay Allen's 2,973 career total.
On October 27, 2024, then presidential candidateDonald Trump hosted acampaign rally at Madison Square Garden.[96][97] The event was particularly notable for remarks by comedianTony Hinchcliffe, who spoke prior to Trump and made jokes widely considered offensive towardPuerto Ricans, which became a significant talking point going into thepresidential election.[96][98][99]
In 1977, Madison Square Garden announcedGold Ticket Awards would be given to performers who had brought in more than 100,000 unit ticket sales to the venue. Since the arena's seating capacity is about 20,000, this would require a minimum of five sold-out shows. Performers who were eligible for the award at the time of its inauguration includedChicago,John Denver,Peter Frampton, theRolling Stones, theJackson 5,Elton John,Led Zeppelin,Sly Stone,Jethro Tull,the Who, andYes.[100][101]Graeme Edge, who received his award in 1981 as a member ofthe Moody Blues, said he found his gold ticket to be an interesting piece of memorabilia because he could use it to attend any event at the Garden.[102] Many other performers received Gold Ticket Awards between 1977 and 1994.
Madison Square Garden also gave Platinum Ticket Awards to performers who sold over 250,000 tickets to their shows throughout the years. Winners of the Platinum Ticket Awards include: the Rolling Stones (1981),[103] Elton John (1982),[104] Yes (1984),[105] Billy Joel (1984),[106] the Grateful Dead (1987),[107] and Madonna (2004).[citation needed]
The Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame honors those who have demonstrated excellence in their fields at the Garden. Most of the inductees have been sports figures, however, some performers have been inducted as well. Elton John was reported to be the first non-sports figure inducted into the MSG Hall of Fame in 1977 for "record attendance of 140,000" in June of that year.[108] For their accomplishment of "13 sell-out concerts" at the venue, the Rolling Stones were inducted into the MSG Hall of Fame in 1984, along with nine sports figures icons, bringing the hall's membership to 107.[109]
The walkway leading to the arena of Madison Square Garden was designated as the "Walk of Fame" in 1992.[110] It was established "to recognize athletes, artists, announcers and coaches for their extraordinary achievements and memorable performances at the venue."[111] Each inductee is commemorated with a plaque that lists the performance category in which his or her contributions have been made.[110]Twenty-five athletes were inducted into the MSG Walk of Fame at its inaugural ceremony in 1992, a black-tie dinner to raise money to fight multiple sclerosis.[112] Elton John was the first entertainer to be inducted into the MSG Walk of Fame in 1992.[113][114] Billy Joel was inducted at a date after Elton John,[115] and the Rolling Stones were inducted in 1998.[116] In 2015, the Grateful Dead were inducted into the MSG Walk of Fame along with at least three sports-related figures.[115][111]
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The Theater at Madison Square Garden seats between 2,000 and 5,600 for concerts and can also be used for meetings, stage shows, and graduation ceremonies. It was the home of theNFL draft until 2005, when it moved to theJacob K. Javits Convention Center after MSG management opposed anew arena for theNew York Jets. It also hosted theNBA draft from 2001 to 2010. The theater also occasionally hosts boxing matches.
The fall 1999Jeopardy! Teen Tournament as well asCelebrity Jeopardy! competitions were held at the theater.Wheel of Fortune taped at the theater twice in 1999 and 2013. In 2004, it was the venue of theSurvivor: All-Stars finale. No seat is more than 177 feet (54 m) from the 30' × 64' stage. The theater has a relatively low 20-foot (6.1 m) ceiling at stage level[119] and all of its seating except for boxes on the two side walls is on one level slanted back from the stage. There is an 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) lobby at the theater.
Madison Square Garden sits directly atop a major transportation hub,New York Penn Station, which is served byLong Island Rail Road andNJ Transit commuter rail, as well asAmtrak. The Garden is also accessible via theNew York City Subway at the34th Street–Penn Station (A, C, and E trains) and the34th Street–Penn Station (1, 2, and 3 trains) stations.[120]
that began with a series of vulgar and racist remarks by allies of the former president.
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