Makes me happy Toronto still has Maple Leaf Gardens, even if it’s partially a grocery store now.
TittyMongoose42says
I’m not a big fan of the modern Garden, but as a Bostonian I gotta give them props for intentionally working in markings that follow the outlines from the original Garden.
Granite slabs show where fans would have celebrated. A stainless-steel band represents the location of the out-of-bounds line for NBA games and the so-called key for the Boston Celtics’ home court. A three-inch brass inlay shows the original locations of the face-off circles of the Bruins’ home rink, and within that face-off circle is a one- to five-inch-diameter inlay marking the puck-drop for said face-offs. One more brass inlay— oval-shaped and six inches wide—marks where pucks might’ve struck during Bruins games.
I like the aesthetic from the outside but I honestly can’t imagine anyone missing it as a venue. It was terrible. People flow was a disaster. Visibility was impossible due to interior supports. It was hot, humid, inefficient, I’m not sure it could ever have been renovated enough to be a usable arena. I imagine re-purposing it would have been nearly impossible, i’m not sure what you’d fit into that vast but somehow crampt and unventillated space.
This is not as someone opposed to arena renovation, I’m a dyed in the wool proponent for saving and re purposing the Worcester Aud, but having been in both all I can imagine is that many of you folks never actually visited the Garden.
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If the could have saved it to just be a better North station I’d be game but that would have been a lot of work, and you’d still have the problem of what to do with the rest of the building. And to build the new garden I’m sure late 90s Boston would have opted to demolish some other, possibly more hospitable buildings to build it (and a sea of parking, because the north station link is really all that saved us from a late 90s parking ocean for the space)
Suspicious_Earthsays
At least in the years since this picture was taken, the new Garden was built to modern standards, the subway was moved underground with improved connectivity and infrastructure, the neighborhood has become noticeably safer, and a plethora of new housing, office, and retail options have populated the street.
Not all change is bad. Not every single old building is worth saving.
irishjihadsays
I remember being at a Bruins game that was called due to fog. Also got rained on by condensation a few times. Good times. Good times.
vocalisersays
I heard some great concerts at the old Garden but never saw a Bruins or Celtics game there. I can’t put my finger on them, but I have some cool photos of the demolition, and I copped a chunk of the seating. They were already building the TD garden, and I was amazed that the gap between the Garden’s outer wall and the TD one was about five inches. Cutting it close!!
rexbanner747says
I miss it terribly but of course it had to go. I live in Canada but grew up a Bruins fan. My father brought me to several games when I was young. I remember the curtain being drawn in the concessions area and the players walking past to get to the ice surface from the locker rooms. I remember the Zamboni driver honking his horn trying to get past guys lined up to buy beer. I remember the organist sitting in the balcony amongst fans (he let me play a note during an intermission). I remember the players coming out for the start of the period… skating around the ice and feeling the breeze they caused as they all circled together. I miss the smoke. I miss the hard wooden seats. I miss the chaos of the pro shop and the smell of rubber pucks that greeted you as you walked in. I miss the banners that crowded the ceiling. I miss the scalpers outside with stacks of tickets some of which sat you directly behind a metal post. I miss it terribly.
richg0404 says
The new garden is rat-less too.
KuroArk088 says
what year was this taken?
sledgehammer_77 says
Makes me happy Toronto still has Maple Leaf Gardens, even if it’s partially a grocery store now.
TittyMongoose42 says
I’m not a big fan of the modern Garden, but as a Bostonian I gotta give them props for intentionally working in markings that follow the outlines from the original Garden.
Granite slabs show where fans would have celebrated. A stainless-steel band represents the location of the out-of-bounds line for NBA games and the so-called key for the Boston Celtics’ home court. A three-inch brass inlay shows the original locations of the face-off circles of the Bruins’ home rink, and within that face-off circle is a one- to five-inch-diameter inlay marking the puck-drop for said face-offs. One more brass inlay— oval-shaped and six inches wide—marks where pucks might’ve struck during Bruins games.
It’s kind of a nice touch. Pics here.
infestans says
Had you ever been to the old garden?
​
I like the aesthetic from the outside but I honestly can’t imagine anyone missing it as a venue. It was terrible. People flow was a disaster. Visibility was impossible due to interior supports. It was hot, humid, inefficient, I’m not sure it could ever have been renovated enough to be a usable arena. I imagine re-purposing it would have been nearly impossible, i’m not sure what you’d fit into that vast but somehow crampt and unventillated space.
This is not as someone opposed to arena renovation, I’m a dyed in the wool proponent for saving and re purposing the Worcester Aud, but having been in both all I can imagine is that many of you folks never actually visited the Garden.
​
If the could have saved it to just be a better North station I’d be game but that would have been a lot of work, and you’d still have the problem of what to do with the rest of the building. And to build the new garden I’m sure late 90s Boston would have opted to demolish some other, possibly more hospitable buildings to build it (and a sea of parking, because the north station link is really all that saved us from a late 90s parking ocean for the space)
Suspicious_Earth says
At least in the years since this picture was taken, the new Garden was built to modern standards, the subway was moved underground with improved connectivity and infrastructure, the neighborhood has become noticeably safer, and a plethora of new housing, office, and retail options have populated the street.
Not all change is bad. Not every single old building is worth saving.
irishjihad says
I remember being at a Bruins game that was called due to fog. Also got rained on by condensation a few times. Good times. Good times.
vocaliser says
I heard some great concerts at the old Garden but never saw a Bruins or Celtics game there. I can’t put my finger on them, but I have some cool photos of the demolition, and I copped a chunk of the seating. They were already building the TD garden, and I was amazed that the gap between the Garden’s outer wall and the TD one was about five inches. Cutting it close!!
rexbanner747 says
I miss it terribly but of course it had to go. I live in Canada but grew up a Bruins fan. My father brought me to several games when I was young. I remember the curtain being drawn in the concessions area and the players walking past to get to the ice surface from the locker rooms. I remember the Zamboni driver honking his horn trying to get past guys lined up to buy beer. I remember the organist sitting in the balcony amongst fans (he let me play a note during an intermission). I remember the players coming out for the start of the period… skating around the ice and feeling the breeze they caused as they all circled together. I miss the smoke. I miss the hard wooden seats. I miss the chaos of the pro shop and the smell of rubber pucks that greeted you as you walked in. I miss the banners that crowded the ceiling. I miss the scalpers outside with stacks of tickets some of which sat you directly behind a metal post. I miss it terribly.