Madison Square Garden continues to make history — opening its doors today for the first time following a billion-dollar, three-year transformation.
It includes two bridges that will give Garden-goers unprecedented access to be, literally, on top of the games.
The giant, floating bridges are a spectacular feat of imagination and engineering — and will revolutionize the way spectators view sports.
“It gets people right out there in a totally unique way. These are the most unique seats in a sports arena. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world,” says architect Murray Beynon, who created Toronto’s iconic SkyDome.
The unique Chase Bridges, which hang from the ceiling, are a symbolic reminder of the world famous suspension bridges that connect the island of Manhattan to the rest of the world. They flow seamlessly into the bowl, providing an incredible vantage point.
Madison Square Garden Co. president and CEO Hank Ratner calls the Garden’s renovation project “hugely significant” for the city.
“We started off with a 134-year-old icon that often transports people back to experiences with their parents and grandparents taking them to their first events at Madison Square Garden. Think of all the events and the firsts that have happened here,” Ratner says.
“We’ve built a brand-new arena inside the icon and we kept the flavor and feel of all the memories that have occurred here,” he adds.
The billion-dollar renovation has taken place during off-seasons for the past three years. The arena shut down for three summers for about five months every year.
Ratner adds that the Garden will now have improved sightlines for everyone, and that the bridges will include public concourses so that everyone at the Garden will feel like they are in a club-like environment.
“It really was our mission to go to the people of New York and ask them what they wanted. The fans told us what amenities they wanted and we set out to deliver,” Ratner says. “We also wanted the building to show what it has delivered since 1879. Lots of buildings have history exhibits, but our whole building has it.”
The new Chase Square Seventh Avenue entrance has nearly doubled in size, adding a new retail store, a broadcast location for MSG Network and a dedicated area for the Garden of Dreams Foundation. There is also an expanded food service, more restrooms and art programs.
“We tried to make MSG interesting and compelling — exciting for every guest who comes into the building,” Ratner says.
As for the bridges, all Garden-goers can access the bridges from the 10th floor — as well as the new first-rate concession stands. About 900 people can walk safely on the bridges, which will be an open concourse. They are meant for people to stroll around, like a promenade.
Since the Garden is known for its curves — shaped like a bowl, its lines are curved, unlike any other arena — the bridges have been designed to be a part of that, too.
One of the biggest challenges was to come up with a way to keep the bridges from moving. To help, the Garden team brought in the same engineering team that created the Grand Canyon skywalk.
“The technical problems were the same. How do you keep the bridges from moving in the opposite direction to the crowd? Fans will be jumping up and down when their teams win. How do you keep the bridges vibration-free and comfortable? That was an incredible engineering feat,” Beynon says.
Not surprisingly, only a limited number of bridge seats are left for purchase. In total, there are 355 seats on one bridge and about 75 on the other available to the public, with the rest reserved for media. But less than 50 seats are available for each team per Knicks and Rangers game.
The transformation will also include two balcony spaces with seating, the West Balcony and the Eighteen/76 Balcony, re-branded by Anheuser-Busch.