Why are stadiums called gardens

Sports stadiums go by a lot of different names — barn, forum, center, arena. But, have you ever wondered why there are a number of different hockey arenas that have used the term garden? What does a garden have to do with a hockey arena?

So why are hockey arenas called gardens? Subsequent arenas that have been named garden have taken this naming from Madison Square Garden. The first thing that you need to know about Madison Square Garden is that there has actually been four of them. And, the first one that came into existence was simply renamed. It all started in when P. Barnum converted an old railroad depot into an open air arena called the Great Roman Hippodrome.

The original building that P. Barnum moved on from the arena, and it was then leased to Patrick Gilmore in The arena itself had never been a garden, but there was precedent that other buildings beforehand in the New York area had been called garden.

This would align with the thought that the word garden was once used, more commonly, as a name for a large area for public events. William Vanderbilt would eventually by the building from Gilmore and on May 31, he officially renamed it. Vanderbilt would keep the name Garden but added Madison Square to it because the property was located at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.

Well, people in Boston may not like this considering the Boston versus New York rivalry in sports and everything else , but it all started in New York! As mentioned above Madison Square Garden has had four instalments throughout its life. The third instalment was built and operated by Tex Rickard. Rickard had a plan after building Madison Square Garden to build seven more of these across the country.

The original Boston Garden officially closed in , and was finally demolished three years later in The new Boston Arena was also given the name Boston Garden with the corporate sponsor name being added beforehand. For the first 13 years of their existence the Toronto Maple Leafs played in an arena called the Arena Gardens.

The Arena Gardens was built in and held 7, spectators. Conn Smythe determined that the arena was too small and decided a new one needed to be built. The Stanford White design was then the second tallest building in New York, according to the blog Daytonian in Manhattan. It was expensive to maintain, leading to another closure in The third MSG had a then-massive 18, capacity.

Rather than the air of prestige that led to the previous iteration losing money, this one went right for a crowd-pleaser: boxing. The capacity maxes out at around 20, people, depending on the type of event. It is arguably the most iconic arena in the world today.

Not all arenas can handle the acoustics of plays, rock bands, and comedians just as well as raucous sporting events. Upon the opening, the Knicks were an early customer. For a fanbase suffering under widely panned leadership , these moments matter.

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