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Cincinnati Gardens History
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What do Madonna, Larry Bird, the Beatles,
Dr. Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, Frank Zappa, Richard Nixon and
Barney have in common?
One thing – Cincinnati Gardens!
All have appeared at Cincinnati’s 25,000-square foot
landmark sports and entertainment arena in Bond Hill/Golf
Manor built on the corner of Seymour Avenue and Langdon Farm
Roads. Literally hundreds of the world’s biggest name
entertainers, celebrities and athletes have appeared at the
Gardens in it’s illustrious 58-year-run. Fact is; it’s hard
to find a veteran resident of Greater Cincinnati who hasn’t
seen at least one event at the Gardens. |
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Gardens Opened in
1949 |
The Cincinnati Gardens opened February 22, 1949; the first
event was a hockey exhibition game – the Dallas Texans
(whose nucleus would form the new Cincinnati Mohawks of the
American Hockey League) versus its parent club, the National
Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens, which featured Hall of
Fame right wing Maurice “The Rocket” Richard.
The first week of events at Cincinnati’s newest sports and
entertainment center was staggering: following the
exhibition hockey game was a U.C. vs. Butler basketball
game, a Xavier vs. Kentucky basketball game, and a
heavyweight boxing match between Cincinnatian Ezzard Charles
and Cleveland’s Joey Maxim (Charles won in 15 rounds to
become the #1 contender to Joe Louis’ title).
Since that flashy beginning, the Gardens has hosted an
exalted array of diverse events, including major-and-minor
league sports, rock concerts, comedians, symphony
orchestras, broadway-style musicals, political rallies,
rodeos, roller derby, tractor pulls, circuses, ice follies,
dog shows, dirt track auto racing, auto and baseball card
shows and more. |
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7th largest U.S.
Arena |
The brick and limestone Gardens – with its six distinctive,
three-dimensional carved athletic figures decorating the
buildings facing – was built on 22 acres in Cincinnati’s
north and was modeled after the popular and historic Maple
Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario. At the time of its opening
in 1949, Cincinnati Gardens was the seventh largest indoor
arena in the U.S. with a seating capacity of 11,000. Stock
in the Gardens was widely held throughout the U.S.
Cincinnati Gardens Inc.’s first president was Cincinnatian
Charles Sawyer, U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Cincinnati Gardens was built using some 325,000 man-hours by
the Frank Messer & Sons general contractors for a cost of $3
million. It was constructed with no interior pillars or
columns obstructing sight lines. Some 2,200 tons of
structured and reinforcing steel were used in the project,
and it was said that a 10-foot story tall building could fit
under the Gardens’ roof. A Cincinnati newspaper reported at
the time: “The answer to Cincinnati’s appetite for indoor
sports and spectacles, Cincinnati Gardens by its great
expanse of uninterrupted space, will awe the thousands of
first-nighters.”
The Gardens current owner is Gerry Robinson of Cincinnati.
His son, Pete Robinson, serves as president of the arena. A
real estate developer, Gerry purchased the Gardens in 1979.
“It looked as if the grand old building would be destined
for the wrecker’s ball,” he says, “and I didn’t want that to
happen. As so many others, I grew up in Cincinnati with
great, great memories of Cincinnati Gardens with hockey, the
NBA Royals and concerts. I loved the building’s rich history
and knew it was a tremendous Cincinnati asset to be saved
for future generations.” |
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Hosted More Sports
and Concerts Than Anywhere Else |
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As a sporting venue, Cincinnati Gardens has
hosted minor and major league hockey, professional, college
and high school basketball, amateur and professional boxing,
professional soccer, professional wrestling, roller derby,
auto and motorcycle racing, karate championships, even
swimming exhibitions.
As for entertainers, the Gardens has hosted, literally,
hundreds of the biggest names in show business – Elvis, the
Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Sammy Davis
Jr., Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd,
Kinks, Alice Cooper, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam – and
even Lawrence Welk. Country singers appearing include Reba
McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Hank
Williams Jr., Randy Travis, Statler Brothers, Waylon
Jennings, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Wynonna Judd, and many
more. Though he didn’t perform on stage, Garth Brooks
visited the Gardens to enjoy some public ice-skating. So did
actor Alan Thicke.
For kids and families, there have been circuses, ice
follies, and shows featuring Sesame Street, Snoopy, Bugs
Bunny and Barney (the dinosaur, not Rubble). There have been
horse shows, dog shows, and baseball card shows with the
sport’s superstars such as Mickey Mantle. Evel Knievel
performed death defying motorcycle jumps at the Gardens, and
the arena has even hosted political rallies – Richard Nixon
and Henry Cabot Lodge spoke to the largest throng ever in
the Gardens history with 19,000 on hand as they spoke
October 25, 1960, and Barry Goldwater September 29, 1964,
while seeking the nation’s top office. There was also an
indoor “aqua-parade” starring Olympic swimmers and Tarzan
movie star Buster Crabbe, and the musical play “Jesus Christ
Superstar” was performed there, too. |
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Incredible Sports
History |
Of course, Cincinnati Gardens will forever be linked to
great sporting events, especially hockey, basketball and
boxing. The long hockey history includes the Cincinnati
Mohawks (’49-’57), the popular Cincinnati Swords (’71-‘74),
Cincinnati Cyclones (’90- ’97) and the Cincinnati Mighty
Ducks (’97-’05).
But another professional hockey team played at the Gardens,
too – one perhaps lost in the annals of history. The
Cincinnati Wings of the Central Hockey League played nine
games at the Gardens in 1963-64. The Indianapolis Capitals
team moved from that city to the Queen City during the
season with the Indiana Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis
– the team’s home arena – exploded and caught fire, killing
73 people and injuring more than 300 – thus the Cincinnati
Wings were born.
The Cincinnati Mohawks, a Montreal Canadiens affiliate,
played three seasons in the American Hockey League and six
in the original International Hockey League. From 1952-1957,
the Mohawks dominated the IHL, winning five straight Turner
Cup championships, an IHL record that stood until the
original league folded in 2001.
The Cincinnati Swords were an affiliate of the Buffalo
Sabres and were immensely popular with fans in the early
1970’s with players like Gary Bromley, Rick Dudley, Rocky
Farr, Billy Inglis and Ray “Spider” McKay. The Swords won
the Calder Cup in their second season in 1973; marking the
last time a Cincinnati-based professional hockey team has
captured a league title.
The Cincinnati Cyclones performed successfully on and off
the ice in both the ECHL and IHL over a seven-year span
before choosing to vacate the facility in 1997, paving the
way for the AHL to return the Queen City after a 24-year
absence with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. Following an
eight-year run – the longest by one franchise in the same
league and same arena in Cincinnati pro hockey history – the
Mighty Ducks were forced to suspend operations following the
2004-05 season due to the lack of an available NHL
affiliate. Hockey remains alive and well at the Gardens,
however, with both high school hockey and youth hockey
playing in the grand old barn. |
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Hoops Heaven |
In addition to hockey, basketball – high school, college and
the pros – will be forever linked with Cincinnati Gardens.
One of Cincinnati’s favorite teams, the NBA Cincinnati
Royals – with such stars as Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas,
Sam Lacey and Nate “Tiny” Archibald – called the Gardens
home from 1958-1972. The Royals franchise still exists today
as the Sacramento Kings. The Gardens even hosted the NBA
All-Star Game in 1966, where the best of the best competed
and the Royals’ Adrian Smith was named game MVP. Another
professional basketball team – the Cincinnati Slammers of
the Continental Basketball League – played in the Gardens
from 1985-1987.
College basketball has had a rich tradition at the Gardens
since the arena’s inception, with both the University of
Cincinnati and Xavier University playing on the Gardens’
hardwood. The Gardens was the home to dozens of Bearcats
games and was the Musketeers proud home from 1983-2000.
Boxing has always been a favorite with Gardens’ fans, and
they’ve seen the best from Golden Gloves championships to
professional champs like Ezzard Charles, Wallace “Bud” Smith
and Aaron Pryor, all hometown products.
As for other sports and entertainment, consider the Gardens
legacy of the ever popular wrestling, with such stars as
Georgeous George, The Sheik, Handsome Johnny Barend, Roddy
Piper, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and hundreds of
other big time wrestlers who have entertained ardent
Gardens’ crowds for decades. Other sporting events hosted by
the Gardens include professional soccer (Cincinnati
Silverbacks, 1995-1997), roller derby, rodeos, monster truck
rallies, horse shows, indoor auto races, and more. |
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Not Resting On Its
Laurels |
Cincinnati Gardens is not resting on its laurels. For its
50th year of operation, the Gardens underwent a
beautification program to take it into the new century.
Outside the building, there is new landscaping, with dozens
of trees and flowerbeds, new lighting and wrought iron
fencing and a 50th anniversary logo etched in marble in a
courtyard area. Inside, visitors will find a fresh new paint
scheme throughout the lobby and concourse area. Improvements
have been made to the arena’s sound system, and the
concession stands continue to offer new menu items. There
are also modernized restrooms, new lighting and a remodeled
press box that is considered to be among the best in minor
pro hockey.
One of the most exciting new additions to the Gardens in the
recent years is Legends Museum. Legends Museum is a virtual
memorabilia treasure trove of the thousands of exciting
events that have taken place at the Gardens during its
extraordinary 58-year history. Located on the second floor
of the building’s east side, Legends Museum is open to the
public free of charge before and during all events. |
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