TD Garden
| TD Garden | |
|---|---|
|
Boston Garden The Garden | |
 | |
 | |
| Full name |
Shawmut Center (planning/construction) FleetCenter (1995-2005) TD Banknorth Garden (2005-09) |
| Location |
100 Legends Way Boston, MA 02114 |
| Coordinates | 42°21′58.69″N 71°3′44.02″W / 42.3663028°N 71.0622278°WCoordinates: 42°21′58.69″N 71°3′44.02″W / 42.3663028°N 71.0622278°W |
| Broke ground | April 29, 1993 |
| Opened | September 30, 1995 |
| Renovated | 2006, 2009 |
| Owner | Delaware North—Boston |
| Construction cost |
$160 million ($259 million in 2014 dollars[ 1]) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket, Inc.[1] |
| Project manager | Upton & Partners[2] |
| Structural engineer | LeMessurier Consultants[3] |
| Services engineer | Flack + Kurtz[1] |
| General contractor | Morse Diesel International[4] |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 18,624 Hockey: 17,565 |
| Field dimensions | 755,000 square feet (70,100 m2) |
| Website | Venue Website |
| Public transit access | North Station |
| Tenants | |
|
Boston Celtics (NBA) (1995-Present) Boston Bruins (NHL) (1995-Present) | |
The TD Garden[5] (originally the FleetCenter and the TD Banknorth Garden; locally known as the Boston Garden and The Garden[6]) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after its sponsor, TD Bank, a subsidiary of Canada's Toronto-Dominion Bank.
TD Garden is the home arena for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. It is owned by Delaware North, whose CEO, Jeremy Jacobs, also owns the Bruins. It is the site of the annual Beanpot college hockey tournament, and hosts the annual Hockey East Championships. The arena has also hosted many major national sporting events including the 1999, 2003, and 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball regional first and second rounds, the 2009 and 2012 Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, the 1998 Frozen Four, the 2004 Frozen Four, the 2014 United States Figure Skating Championships, will host the 2015 Frozen Four and has also hosted the 2006 Women's Final Four. It hosted the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals and the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals for the Bruins, and the home games of the 2008 NBA Finals and 2010 NBA Finals for the Celtics.
History
Planning
In 1985, Boston Garden owner Delaware North was awarded the rights to construct a new arena by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Mayor Raymond Flynn. However, poor economic conditions delayed the project.[7][8]
On May 8, 1992 Delaware North announced that they had secured funding for a new arena in the form of $120 million worth of loans evenly split between Bank of Boston, Fleet Bank of Massachusetts, and Shawmut National Corporation.[9] That December a bill approving construction of the new arena was killed in the Massachusetts Senate by Senate President William M. Bulger. Legislative leaders and Delaware North attempted to reach an agreement on plans for the new arena, but in February 1993 Delaware North owner Jeremy Jacobs announced that he was backing out of the project as a result of the legislature's demand that his company pay $3.5 million in "linkage payments".[10] Two weeks later, after a new series of negotiations, the two sides finally came to an agreement and on February 26 the Legislature passed a bill that allowed for construction of a new sports arena.[11]
Construction
Construction began on April 29, 1993. Plans for the new arena stated that it would be slightly north of the old facility. The term "slightly north" ended up meaning that there was only nine inches (23 cm) of space between the two buildings when construction was completed.[12] The site for the new arena occupied 3.2 acres (13,000 m2). It eventually cost $160 million. Ground was broken on April 29, 1993. In 27 months, quick by today's standards, the arena was built. That included seven weeks of delay caused by heavy snowfall.[12] The Shawmut Center opened on September 30, 1995.
Naming
When constructed to replace the aging Boston Garden, the arena was called the FleetCenter. The arena opened on September 30, 1995.
During the construction phase, the naming rights to the "New Garden" were sold to a major Boston-based regional bank, Shawmut Bank. However, just as the Shawmut Center was being completed, Shawmut merged with its somewhat larger rival, the Providence-based Fleet Bank. The merger was negotiated in secret while Shawmut and Fleet's marketing departments were simultaneously engaged in a spirited bidding war for the arena's naming rights. The post-merger bank had effectively been bidding against itself. The bank which won the competition for the "New Garden's" naming rights, Shawmut, was the bank whose name disappeared during the merger. Shortly before the new arena opened, every seat, which had been stamped with the Shawmut logo, had to be replaced. Also, the entire color scheme for the interior had to be adjusted.
The name of the arena was expected to change as a result of the April 1, 2004 merger of FleetBoston Financial with Bank of America. On January 5, 2005, Delaware North announced an agreement under which the bank made a payment to be released from the remaining six years on the naming rights agreement. The agreement left Delaware North free to sell the naming rights to another sponsor. On March 3, 2005, Maine-based TD Banknorth, a U.S. subsidiary of Toronto-Dominion Bank, announced its purchase of the naming rights for $6 million per year.[13] The first major event after the announcement was the 2005 Hockey East men's tournament.
The company named the facility "TD Banknorth Garden" in honor of the original Boston Garden. The name officially became the TD Banknorth Garden on July 1, 2005. Prior to that date, it went under the name "YourGarden".
In early 2005, while still searching for a long-term corporate sponsor, the FleetCenter conducted auctions on eBay to sell one-day naming rights. From February 10 to March 13, the FleetCenter sold the naming rights 30 different times on eBay. The net proceeds of $150,633.22 generated during the auction was donated to charities in the Greater Boston area, and $40,000 worth of My Grandma's Coffee Cakes was donated to local food banks. The FleetCenter also made private arrangements with a few companies for one-day naming rights, and offered one day's rights in an employee raffle.
During the name auction, only twice were names reported to be rejected. Kerry Konrad, a New York City lawyer and Yankees fan, won naming rights for March 1 with a bid of $2300. He proposed the name "Derek Jeter Center", after the New York Yankees shortstop, a stab at fellow Harvard College alumnus and Boston Red Sox fan Jerry Rappaport, Jr., with whom he had a 25 year-old rivalry. Being in the heart of Red Sox Nation, the name did not sit well with the executives and was rejected. An agreement was reached in which Rappaport added $6300 for a total bid of $8600, representing the 86 years of the Curse of the Bambino, and named the arena "New Boston Garden, Home of The Jimmy Fund Champions". Fark.com founder Drew Curtis held a contest on his website to name the arena after he bought single-day rights. A user vote resulted in the "Fark.com UFIA Center" coming on top, but the name was rejected due to its inappropriate meaning. The name eventually selected by Curtis and company was "Boston Garden".
- Including its present name, the TD Garden has had 33 different names.
- Celtics players dubbed it "The Jungle" during the team's 2002 playoff run.
In April 2008, TD Banknorth became TD Bank, after a merger with Commerce Bancorp, a New Jersey–based bank. Owner Delaware North Companies announced on April 15, 2009, that the building would be renamed TD Garden in July 2009.[14][15]
Renovations
Before the 2006–07 season, the TD Garden underwent a major overhaul, installing a new HD entertainment board. For basketball, video advertising panels (installed by the NCAA for the 2006 Women's Final Four) replaced the traditional scrolling panels, and added a see-through shot clock, joining the FedExForum, Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), Philips Arena, US Airways Center, United Center, Quicken Loans Arena, and the Time Warner Cable Arena (this was done before the NBA mandate was installed in 2011). In addition, a vintage siren, just as the original Boston Garden had used, was added to replace the end-of-period horn for hockey only, a feature of the Montreal Canadiens, the Bruins' arch-rivals, at the Montreal Forum (now the Pepsi Forum shopping centre) and the current Centre Bell. In 2009, an LED energy efficient lighting system was added to the exterior of the building. The arena has been recognized by many industry publications as one of the top arenas in the country. Arena industry publication Venues Today ranked the TD Garden as the No. 3 arena in the country for 2006. Additionally, the TD Garden has been recognized with the following recent awards and achievements:
- 2007 TD Garden selected as finalist for National Sports Forum Achievement Award
- 2008 TD Garden receives EPA Award
- 2009 Nominated for Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal[16]
On January 25, 2013 during a Celtics vs Knicks game at the Garden, television announcer Marv Albert accused the TD Garden production crew for being one of those arenas that "constantly" use fake sound effects to intensify the crowd reactions on nationally televised games, however the official Twitter account of the Boston Celtics stated that the Celtics have never used artificial crowd noise.[17] Following their 2011 Stanley Cup Finals win, the Bruins changed their previous Stanley Cup banners to reflect the changes in the team's main jersey logo through time during their past five Cup wins, as the current logo adorns the 2011 Cup win's banner.[18]
Usage
Sports
The arena is primarily the home venue for the NBA's Boston Celtics and the NHL's Boston Bruins. It has hosted the 1996 NHL All-Star Game, the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals, and the 2011 and 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. While dominant in their previous arena, Boston Garden, the Celtics and Bruins were initially much less successful in their new home as both teams missed the playoffs numerous times and failed to make their league's conference finals until 2008. That year the Celtics defeated their arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers in six games, clinching the 2008 NBA championship in the Garden. The Bruins overcame the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to capture the 2011 Stanley Cup, winning all games in the Garden with lopsided scores (8-1, 4-0, and 5-2) and then taking the championship on the road at Rogers Arena. In the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Bruins overcame a 4-1 deficit in the deciding Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs to win 5-4 in overtime, en route to making it to the Finals; the Chicago Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup in the Garden after a stunning comeback in the final minute of Game Six.
Eddie Palladino is the current public address announcer for Celtics games, while Jim Martin is the public address announcer for Bruins games. Ron Poster is the arena organist.
The arena is the home of the annual Beanpot college hockey tournament between the Boston University Terriers, Boston College Eagles, Harvard University Crimson and Northeastern University Huskies. The facility has hosted the 2001 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, the 1996 and 2000 US Gymnastics Trials, and the 1998 and 2004 NCAA Men's Frozen Four.
TD Garden is one of two NBA arenas (along with Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic) with parquet floors. The Celtics are best known for the tradition of the parquet floor from their Boston Garden years, originally built after World War II because of cost and the scarcity of lumber in that time. However, a traditional floor was used in the 2006 NCAA Women's Final Four and the 2009 NCAA Men's East Regional (NCAA rules require a special NCAA-specification floor be used for all tournament games). When the 2012 NCAA Men's East Regional was held at TD Garden, a lighter-shaded parquet floor was used, with the same NCAA-specific design.
Ricky Hatton began his 'American dream' here on May 13, 2006, he stepped up to welterweight to fight WBA world champion Luis Collazo. After knocking Collazo down after seconds into the first round, Hatton was made to work hard to earn a unanimous point win.
Other events
The very first concert ever hosted at the now TD Garden was R.E.M. on October 2, 1995.[19] Since its grand opening in 1995, more than 30 million people have come to the TD Garden to see the arena's famous tenants, the NHL's Boston Bruins and NBA's Boston Celtics, as well as world-renowned concerts, sporting events, family shows, wrestling, ice shows and so much more. Home to approximately 200 public events annually, the TD Garden hosts well over 3.5 million people each year.[16]
Among the non-sporting events hosted by the Garden are concerts, shows, graduations, seminars, Disney on Ice, the circus, and commencement exercises for Northeastern University.
Comedians such as Tim Allen, Denis Leary, Chris Rock and Louis C.K., among many others, have all performed at the TD Garden during their nationwide tours.
It has hosted many WWE events such as Wrestlemania XIV in 1998, the 2000 King of the Ring, the 2003 and 2011 Royal Rumble, the 2006 SummerSlam, the 2008 Survivor Series and 2013 Survivor Series, and 2012 Night of Champions. It has been a regular stop for Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, notable episodes that have been held here at the 900th episode of Raw and celebrating a Decade long of Smackdown. The WWE returned to the Garden for a Smackdown taping on April 9, 2013.[20] The arena hosted WWE Survivor Series on November 24, 2013, which is the second one it hosted, the first being in 2008. WWE will return on March 25th,2014 for a Smackdown Taping.[21]
On August 28, 2010, the TD Garden hosted UFC 118, which was the first time that the UFC held an event in Boston.[22] UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the UFC will be returning to the garden sometime in 2013.[23][24] The TD Garden will host UFC on Fox Sports 1: 1, the launch of the new Fox Sports 1 cable channel, on August 17, 2013. This will be the second UFC event to take place at the TD Garden.
Diana Ross was scheduled to perform during her Return to Love Tour on July 13, 2000, but the show was canceled. In 2001, U2 recorded four consecutive concerts there for use on their Elevation 2001: Live from Boston DVD. David Bowie was scheduled to perform during his A Reality Tour on December 9, 2003, but the show was canceled, due to tour band illness. He returned and performed on March 30, 2004. Fleetwood Mac recorded and filmed their 2004 CD/DVD package Fleetwood Mac: Live in Boston at this venue. Bon Jovi recorded his Walmart Exclusive CD Live From the Have A Nice Day Tour which was recorded December 10, 2005. The Who and Genesis recorded live CDs as part of the Encore Series in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The Spice Girls performed at the Garden on January 30, 2008. The filming of Celine Dion's Taking Chances Tour took place on August 12–13, 2008. Miley Cyrus performed her hit songs in her Wonder World Tour on November 9, 2009. Lady Gaga brought her record-breaking Monster Ball Tour to TD Garden in 2010 and 2011. She will also bring her Artrave: The Artpop Ball in 2014. Linkin Park performed here on February 1, 2011, as part of their A Thousand Suns World Tour. Katy Perry performed hit songs from her Teenage Dream album in her California Dreams Tour. Aerosmith performed two shows July 17 and July 19, 2012 on their Global Warming Tour. On July 29 and 30 2012 Coldplay visited TD Garden as a part of their Mylo Xyloto Tour. Pearl Jam first played the arena on September 28 and 29, 2004 as warm-up shows for the Vote for Change tour. They performed again on May 24 and 25, 2006 and May 17, 2010. Kiss 108's Jingle Ball was held here on December 6, 2012. Disney on Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic performed here from December 27–30. Night at the Fights,a boxing event was held here on January 26, 2013. The Beanpot was held here on February 4 and 11. Mumford and Sons performed here on February 5, 2013. Disney on ice presents Rockin' Ever After performed here from February 15–24, 2013. On March 15, 2013, the Dropkick Murphys performed at the arena. The Hockey East championship was held here on March 22 and 23, 2013, and P!nk performed at TD Garden on March 28, 2013. The Harlem Globetrotters performed here on April 6, 2013, and Muse performed here on April 12, 2013. Justin Timberlake will perform the first United States concert of The 20/20 Experience World Tour on November 4, 2013. Beyoncé is set to perform 2 sold out shows at the arena as part of her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour on July 23, 2013 and December 20, 2013.[25]
Causeway Street redevelopment
In May 2013, Delaware North Companies and Boston Properties proposed plans to construct a multi-purpose twin-tower structure on the former lot of the original Boston Garden. The complex would encompass 1,700,000 square feet (160,000 m2), of which 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) will be allotted for retail space and 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) for commercial offices. It will also include 500 residential units, a 200-room hotel, and an 800-space underground parking garage. Construction is expected to begin in early 2014.[26]
Features
Statue
On May 2010, a bronze statue of famed Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr, in a famous flying pose celebrating a goal, was unveiled outside the stadium.[27]
Museum
Located in TD Garden is The Sports Museum (also known as "The Sports Museum of New England"). The museum's exhibits focus on the history of various sports in the Boston area, including the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics.
Facilities
Just as the Boston Garden was, the TD Garden is built on top of Boston's North Station, a major transportation hub. The Commuter Rail waiting area becomes crowded during events due to this design: the fans shared a relatively small area with commuters and several fast food concessions. (There is a concourse on the second floor which is about the same size as the former main ground floor concourse, but this is utilized only as an entryway for the arena.) Work finished on the expanded North Station concourse in early 2007. A new, larger, railway concourse gives railway passengers a waiting area which does not interfere with patrons entering or leaving the Garden.
Connections to the Orange Line and Green Line are near the eastern entrance to the Garden. The Green Line formerly ran on an elevated train in front of the building: however, a Green Line tunnel was completed in 2004. (The original plan was to tear down the rail tracks before the 2004 Democratic National Convention, but in the end the tracks were purposely left up through the convention, to serve as a platform for security forces.) The elevated rail was demolished afterwards.
The TD Garden has been seen/mentioned in movies such as The Town (2010), Knight and Day (2010), Zookeeper (2011) and Ted (2012).
On February 4th, 2014, 2 young men bought 3 beers for 30+ dollars and after they paid, the concession stand staff member ripped the beer from one customer's hand and poured it in the drain. While the customers were in a state of shock, the same staff member snatched another beer from the customer's hand and poured it out too. When the manager arrived, he would not listen to the customers complaints and proceeded to kick the two customers out on false accusations. A social media war has risen and the customers are waiting for justice to be met.
See also
- Boston Arena, the Bruins' original home rink, built in 1910
- Boston Garden
- TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (Nebraska)
- TD Bank Ballpark (Bridgewater, New Jersey)
- TD Bank Sports Center (Hamden, Connecticut)
- Toronto Dominion Bank Arena (Charleston, South Carolina)
- List of indoor arenas by capacity
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 TD Garden architect: Ellerbe Becket
- ↑ "TD Banknorth Garden; Boston, Massachusetts". Upton & Partners. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.lemessurier.com/fleet.htm
- ↑ "The Garden". TD Garden. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ↑ TD Banknorth renaming Retrieved on May 14, 2009.
- ↑ "TD Garden". ESPN NHL. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Associated Press (January 6, 1989). "Boston Garden Owners Agree to Build New Boston Arena". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ↑ Ackerman, Jerry; Kindleberger, Richard (July 5, 1992). "Rowes Warfare". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ Butterfield, Fox (May 8, 1992). "After Long Wait, New Boston Garden Planned". The New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ↑ Butterfield, Fox (February 17, 1993). "Hopes for a New Boston Garden Dim With Political Quarreling". The New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ↑ "New Boston Garden Plan Finally Gets Green Light". The New York Times. February 26, 1993. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "TD Banknorth Garden". Ballparks.com. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ↑ Kerber, Ross (April 1, 2008). "Commerce Bank & Trust Sues to Guard Mass. Identity". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Garden Will Have a New Name – TD Garden". The Boston Globe. April 15, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
- ↑ Kerber, Ross (July 24, 2008). "Sports Arena Name is Still Up in the Air". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "About the TD Garden". TD Garden. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ "TD Garden uses artificial sound effects". January 25, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ↑ UNH GH (September 13, 2011). "Re: 2011 NHL Off-Season: The Puck Boat edition". USCHO Fan Forum. USCHO.com. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
- ↑ Morse, Steve (September 29, 1995). "R.E.M. Ready to Give FleetCenter Its First Real Rockin'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ "WWE Smackdown April 9". TD Garden. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Cutting, Devin (January 11, 2013). "Complete Details and Locations on All 2013 WWE PPV Events". PW Insider. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ↑ Ryan, Bob (August 29, 2010). "Ultimately, This Sport is a Big Hit". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ↑ "UFC Returning to Boston in 2013, Ireland by 2014UFC will return to the garden for the first time since 2010 on August 17, 2013".
- ↑ "UFC to TD Garden". MMA Junkie. October 31, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Beyoncé Tour Dates - The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour". Beyonce.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ↑ Casey Ross (May 16, 2013). "Two towers proposed at TD Garden". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/gallery/05_10_10_orr
External links
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