NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Madison Square Garden (Nasdaq:MSG) announced today the greatest moments in the Arena's more than 130 year history that will be celebrated and commemorated through two unique exhibits – "Garden 366" and "Defining Moments" – that will be unveiled as part of Phase II of The Garden's historic three-year, top-to-bottom Transformation this Fall. Since 1879, The Garden's four Arena complexes have played host to some of the greatest moments in the history of sports, music, entertainment and politics. With the "Garden 366" visual retrospective and "Defining Moments" special exhibits, the Garden will showcase through amazing photos and artifacts, the moments that have solidified its position as The World's Most Famous Arena.
"Over the last 133 years, The Garden has played host to some of the most memorable moments in sports, entertainment and politics, and it was important to us that we celebrate and honor this unparalleled history by capturing these incredible moments as part of the transformed Garden," said Hank Ratner, president and CEO, The Madison Square Garden Company. "Whether a fan wants to discover what happened on their birthday, recall events they attended over the years or learn about all of the magical Garden moments, we believe – with the 'Garden 366' and 'Defining Moments' exhibits – that we have successfully created what will become a special destination for all fans who visit The Garden. Over time, as more memorable moments continue to occur, these exhibits will be updated to include the next great moment that happens at The World's Most Famous Arena."
When fans return to The Garden in November, the Madison Concourse (6th Floor) will be completed with the addition of "Garden 366," a visual retrospective that brings to life one moment in Garden history for every day of the year. The retrospective will wrap the entire circumference of the Arena, creating a visual calendar of The Garden's rich history spanning sports, music, entertainment and politics. In addition, this fall, the first 10 of 20 of The Garden's "Defining Moments" will be commemorated on the Madison Concourse through special exhibits that feature photos, memorabilia and additional artifacts, representing each of these amazing moments in Garden history. The remaining 10 "Defining Moments" will be integrated into the Garden Concourse (8th Floor) for debut in fall 2013.
To view all of the moments that will be a part of "Garden 366" and the first 10 of 20 "Defining Moments" that will be unveiled this fall, along with select images, click here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4634540/Garden%20366%20and%20Defining%20Moments.zip
Also part of Phase II of the Garden Transformation, the seating configuration in the upper bowl of the Arena will be completely transformed, offering larger, more comfortable seats and significantly improved sightlines as the incline for the upper bowl will increase 17 degrees, moving fans seven to 10 feet, or nearly three rows, closer to the action. The new, expanded Garden Concourse will include city views, additional restrooms and retail locations, and new first-class food and beverage options. Additional new elements will include 58 new Madison Level Suites, which will open throughout the 2012-13 season, and the Madison Club, both located as close as 23 rows away from the Arena floor. The Madison Club will be a new all-inclusive, exclusive membership-only club that will include tickets to Knicks, Rangers, college basketball, boxing, tennis and all other sports events held at The Garden.
The first phase of the Transformation debuted in fall 2011 and included a completely transformed lower bowl of the Arena, with new larger, more comfortable seating and the expanded Madison Concourse with new amenities for fans. New open areas on the east and west side of the 8th floor and the West Balcony (10th floor) provide fans with direct views into the Arena bowl, as well as new seating, walkways and concession stands. The new Event Level Suites, Delta Sky360 Club and 1879 Club Presented by J.P. Morgan also debuted during the 2011-12 seasons. The third and final phase of the Transformation will be unveiled in fall 2013 when the two spectacular new Chase Bridges and the new expanded Chase Square entrance off 7th Avenue will debut. In addition, the final phase will include the new Budweiser Fan Deck (10th floor), state-of-the-art GardenVision center-hung scoreboard, 18 completely remodeled Garden Suites (9th floor) and a restoration of the iconic Garden ceiling.
Work on the Transformation will continue to be a year-round project, sequenced to maximize construction efforts during the remaining offseason shutdown in 2013. For more information on the MSG Transformation, visit www.msg.com/transformation to see a complete timeline of the project and receive construction updates.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The Company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports owns and operates the following sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Connecticut Whale (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company's venues. MSG Media's television networks consist of regional sports networks, MSG Network and MSG+, collectively referred to as MSG Networks; and Fuse, a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Networks also include high-definition channels, MSG HD and MSG+ HD, and Fuse includes its high-definition channel, Fuse HD. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company's diverse collection of venues. These venues consist of Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre, the Forum in Inglewood, CA, and the Wang Theatre in Boston, MA. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
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