The Demolition of Boston Garden: an Examination of Sports Stadia in Historic Preservation
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THE DEMOLITION OF BOSTON GARDEN: AN EXAMINATION OF SPORTS STADIA IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Michael LaFlash May 2019 © 2019 Michael LaFlash ABSTRACT The closing and subsequent demolition of Boston Garden in 1995 marked the end of an era in a city steeped in history. Boston, Massachusetts is a place that proudly displays its colonial-era and 19th-century architecture interspersed amongst a 21st-century cityscape. Often overlooked, however, is the city’s iconic 20th-century structures, whose impact on the cultural identity of the city rival that of its predecessors. It was in this vein that Boston Garden saw a massive push for redevelopment, resulting in the creation of the FleetCenter, today known as TD Garden. The following discussion is an historical case study of a 20th-century Boston sporting venue that was demolished and redeveloped. The life and death of Boston Garden, former home of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association, among many other sports teams and functions outside of sports, provides an in-depth look into the world of historic preservation, and why specific buildings are or are not preserved. An extensive look at Boston Garden perfectly displays the complexities behind large- scale, real-estate development, and the role individual ownership groups, city officials, the current political environment, and many other factors have on the decision-making process. Boston Garden arose as the city’s preeminent sporting and exhibition hall during a time that citizens, politicians, and decision makers longed for progress and acceptance as a 20th- century American city. Boston’s seemingly never ending desire to escape its storied past carried into the 1980s and 90s as a strong push for redevelopment and redesign occurred throughout the city. This thesis follows this arc as it relates to Boston Garden, which found itself as one of the poster children of Boston’s push for modernity. The city’s push for redevelopment from the 1960s through the 1990s, which included the Massachusetts Miracle and the Big Dig, resulted in a need for economic boosters in various neighborhoods. Boston Garden was seen as an opportunity for economic vitality in the North End section of Boston. The purposeful lack of preservation as it relates to Boston Garden, therefore, poses an important question of whether or not the stadium truly deserved attention from private and public preservation sectors. The purpose of the thesis seeks to examine if the historical, cultural, and architectural significance of Boston Garden warranted preservation, which can then be applied to various other historic sports venues across not only the United States, but the globe. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Michael LaFlash was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. Upon graduation from Villanova University in 2015, he sought to use his B.A. in History, eventually finding the field of Historic Preservation. Prior to pursuing a Masters degree, Michael worked as a teacher and gained his first exposure to preservation with the non-profit Preservation Worcester in his hometown. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been completed without the assistance of many people to whom I am very grateful for. First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Michael Tomlan, without whom this paper would not have been possible. Professor Tomlan’s wisdom and guidance will undoubtedly serve me well in the future, and for that I am extremely appreciative. I would also like to thank Professor Jeffrey Chusid for his assistance and advice throughout this process. Oral interviews played an integral part in this paper. I would like to especially thank Judy McDonough and Kim Konrad-Alvarez for their assistance with Boston’s preservation history. Judy’s knowledge of Boston’s preservation efforts is unmatched, while Kim’s integral role in the Save Fenway Park! movement is especially impactful for this avid sports fan. In the same vein, I would like to thank David Carlson and Michael Cannizzo of the Boston Planning & Development Agency for their discussions about the BRA, the Big Dig, Massachusetts Miracle, and rezoning effort of the 1980s and 1990s. I would also like to give a special thank you to Richard Johnson at the New England Sports Museum for his help in providing photographs of Boston Garden, as well as the staff at Columbia’s Avery Library for helping provide sources. As well as Darrell Harrington, Alexander Zamarro, and Sarah LaFlash for providing photographs. Lastly, I would like to thank all the family and friends that have stood by me, not only through this process, but have been a constant presence at every stage of my life. All of them have shaped me into the person I am today, and for that I will always be in their debt. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ........................................................................................................ III ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... VII INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I THE NEED FOR A TWENTIETH CENTURY ARENA: THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOSTON GARDEN ................................................................................................................. 5 THE BOSTON & MAINE RAILROAD ............................................................................................... 6 THE BOSTON ARENA CORPORATION ............................................................................................ 9 THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN CORPORATION ....................................................................... 12 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOSTON GARDEN .................................................................................. 17 THE MATERIALITY AND LAYOUT OF NORTH STATION-BOSTON GARDEN .................................. 24 CHAPTER II NEW ENGLAND’S GREATEST INDOOR SPORTS ARENA AND EXHIBITION HALL .................................................................................................................... 40 BOXING, THE CIRCUS, AND OTHER EARLY ATTEMPTS TO FILL THE CALENDAR YEAR............... 40 HOCKEY AND THE BOSTON BRUINS ........................................................................................... 49 BASKETBALL AND THE BOSTON CELTICS ................................................................................... 55 NON-ATHLETIC EVENTS AT BOSTON GARDEN ........................................................................... 63 AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE ............................................................................................................ 69 CHAPTER III FALL FROM GRACE: THE DEMOLITION OF A SPORTS PALACE ........... 71 EARLY ATTEMPTS FOR A NEW ARENA ....................................................................................... 72 THE NEED FOR CHANGE ............................................................................................................. 75 EARLY ALTERNATIVES TO A NEW GARDEN ............................................................................... 79 GATEWAY CENTER: THE ROZ GORIN, PAUL TSONGAS PLAN .................................................... 88 BOSTON GARDEN CENTER: THE NEW BOSTON GARDEN ARENA CORPORATION PLAN ............. 92 1988-1993: FINALLY, A “NEW” GARDEN .................................................................................. 95 ON TO THE FLEETCENTER .......................................................................................................... 97 “THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES” ................................................................................................ 101 CHAPTER IV THE GARDEN UP ON THE HILL: BOSTON GARDEN AS THE CULMINATION OF CITY AND STATE PLANNING ........................................................... 109 URBAN RENEWAL IN BOSTON .................................................................................................. 110 THE “MASSACHUSETTS MIRACLE:” AN ECONOMIC SHIFT ....................................................... 118 THE BIG DIG: THE CENTRAL ARTERY/THIRD HARBOR TUNNEL MEGAPROJECT ...................... 120 BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REZONING ................................................................. 124 NORTH STATION-BOSTON GARDEN IN RELATION TO BOSTON’S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE ................................................................................................................................... 128 v CHAPTER V THE NEXT VULNERABLE RESOURCE: BOSTON’S PRESERVATION EFFORTS IN RELATION TO BOSTON GARDEN ................................................................ 132 BOSTON’S ANCESTRAL JEWELS: AN OVERVIEW OF BOSTON’S PRESERVATION HISTORY ........ 133 “ACROSS THE STREET:” THE BULFINCH TRIANGLE HISTORIC DISTRICT .................................. 142 NORTH STATION-BOSTON GARDEN PRESERVATION ................................................................ 148 LESSONS LEARNED: THE FENWAY STORY...............................................................................