El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-06

TT is rumored that Madison Square
Garden will soon be torn down. If
= this is done New York will lose at
one stroke its most famous amusement
center and one Of its most beautiful
architectural landmarks What can or
will take its place none may say. The
Garden as it is Familiarity and even
affecti0nately known, is to be RACED,
chiefly for financial reasons. AS an in
vestment it has never paid a dividend
nor interest on the $4,000, 900 tied up
in ground and buildings. While the
owners are men Of great wealth and
some sentiment, 10th to send forth the
fiat which spells destruction, the pos
sibilities of the site are too valuable
to allow good business judgment to be
swayed by altruistic motives.
Madison Square Garden possesses the
distinction of being the largest sin
gle and comprehensive structure given
over to purely amusement purposes,
not only in America, but in the world.
Not even the gigantic Agricultural hall
at Islington, in London, where the Eng
lish Horse shows and kindred specta-
cles are held, surpasses it in size.
For nearly 40 years the garden has
been the center of New York's amuse-
ment life, both by day and night. But
10 years ago the uptown trend began
A dozen great hotels sprang up in the
region around Times Square, half
mile further north and two or three
blocks to the west Thither also went
the newer theaters, and a great opera
house successfully dared fate as far
west as Eighth avenue. In other
words, the night life of New York
shifted its base from Madison Square
to Long Acre Square, and exchanged
the decorOus stretch of Broadway from
Twenty-third to Thirty fourth streets
for the garlshly Illuminated Great
White Way. Probably nothing would
have preserved the garden so long but
for the fact that there is no other
available site or building in which TO
hold society's great annual function,
the Horse show. where interest is about
equally divided between the sumptu-
ously gowned and jeweled beauties in
the boxes and the groomed beauties on
the tanbark.
Is Huge Affair.
Under the one roof on the long block
bounded by Fourth and Madison ave-
nues and Twenty-sixth and Twenty
seventh streets-32 city lots-are not
only the immense amphitheater or are
ma, 500 feet long, 200 feet wide, so feet
high to the roof stringers, but also the
following separate features: In the
Madison avenue and Twenty-sixth
street corner Of the building there is
on the first floor a cafe lis feet long
and 20 feet wide. Above it is a theater
and concert hall, deliberately decorated
in white and gold. with two balconies,
the lower of which is divided into Sc
open boxes. The seating capacity is
100. Opening from the lower balcony
there is an assembly or dining hall, SO
by 80 feet, and connected Herewith
is a kitchen equipment, sufficiently
large to provide for 1000 people.
Above the Madison avenue end of the
building there is a roof garden, 200 by
so zeet, with a small stage or band
stand. This was opened May 20, 1892,
and accommodates $500 people.
Thus there may be- and frequently
have been several diverse entertain
ments going on in the Garden simulta-
neously-a concert, a ball, a banquet,
a circus and a play In the great arena
the seating capacity varies, from 5000
or 5000 to 10000, according to the oc-
casion Above the arena there is u BAL
cony, which extends around the amphi-
theater, and back of that a promenade,
90 feet wide. in its narrowest part.
Properly speaking, there is no stage.
but when one is required it is con-
structed at the eastern end, either in
front of the boxes or in the space
gained by removing a number of them.
There are 10 arena boxes around the
edges of the floor, 80 in the first tier,
26 in the second and rs in the third,
these tiers being disposed at either end
of the amphitheater.
With the floor left open for a per-
Torrance like that Of circus. there
are seats for 5000 people With the
Nv oho{
eerts. leaving space either in the center
or at the eastern end for a bandstand
the seating capacity is 10000, and
there is standing room for many more.
On the opening night, June Is, 1890
with a concert by Edouard STRAUSS
orchestra and two grand ballots as at
fractions, there were present 1900
people, and that ample provision for
exit had been made was shown in the
fact that the building was vacated
after the performance in four and a
half minutes. There are ten exits, and
all of them, save that on Fourth ave-
nue., are on inclined ramps without
stairways. Besides the usual means
Of ventilation, there is q movable sky
light the area of which is one-haIf
that Of the roof. When this is moved
aside the people in the amphitheater
are virtually, so far as fresh air Is
concerned, out OF doors.
Formerly GiImore's Garden.
For 20 years prior to the opening of
the present ornate and comprehensive
Madison Square Garden the site was
occupied by an older structure known
as Gilmore's Garden, which in turn
was really the remodeled and rearrang-
ed former stone passenger station of
the New York Central and Hudson
River railroad. This name was given
because of the band concerts given
there for many years by Patrick Sars-
field. Gilmore
Ever since its opening the great am
phitheater has been in use for gignatfc
musical and social undertakings, such
as the annual French ball, circus per-
formances, revivals, political mass
meetings, horse and dog shows. six
day bicycle and foot races, automobile
shows military tournaments and other