MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

indoor sports arena in New York City. The original Madison Square Garden (1874) was a converted railroad station at Madison Square; in 1891 a sports arena was built on the site, designed by Stanford White and dedicated chiefly to boxing. In 1925 a new Madison Square Garden was built at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, with an arena suitable for basketball, hockey, and other sports; it was the site of several notable political gatherings, including the deadlocked Democratic National Convention of 1924. The present arena, opened in 1968 on the site of the former Pennsylvania Station, Eighth Avenue and 33rd Street, is a large complex containing a 20,000-seat arena for circuses, ice shows, and conventions, as well as for sports events; a 5,000-seat forum; an exposition rotunda; a bowling centre; a sports hall of fame; and a gallery of sports art. A successful renovation of the complex was completed in 1991.