Why Is New York's Indoor Arena Called Madison Square Garden? Is It Named After Someone?

The indoor entertainment arena Madison Square Garden in New York City is also home to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, and fans want to know how the venue got its name.

In addition to housing the New York Knicks' home games, the arena is also used as a concert venue for stars like Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli, and KISS.

The arena even hosts boxing events and the annual Professional Bull Riders rodeo event, so why is it called Madison Square Garden?

Madison Square Garden was founded in 1879, and because it has a round shape, folks have long wondered how the multi-venue indoor arena got its name.

The first Madison Square Garden was created in 1874 by showman P.T. Barnum in New York's Madison Square. He converted the building between East 23rd and 26th streets and Madison and Fifth avenues into the mega arena Madison Square Depot.

The intersection was named Madison Square Park after the fourth president, James Madison, per NBC New York.

"The first Madison Square Garden wasn't where it is today. It all dates back to the 1800s with the opening of Madison Square Park, a Public Square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd street, named after President James Madison," said reporter Kay Angrum. "This 6.2-acre green space was once a cultural center of New York known for its fancy hotels, its classy restaurants."

The space was taken over by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1879, and he renamed it Madison Square Garden. Penn Station was later torn down to build the current Madison Square Garden, which is equipped with a 20,000-seat arena and a 5,000-seat theater located in Manhattan at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza.

Madison Square Garden is home to the New York Rangers ice hockey team and also hosts historic events such as the 1970 Knicks NBA Championship, four Democratic National Conventions, one Republican National Convention, the infamous serenade by Marilyn Monroe to President John F. Kennedy back in 1962, the 2009 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts, the 1971 match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and the Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Championship.

Madison Square Garden is now located between 31st and 33rd Streets and 7th and 8th Avenues on the West Side of Manhattan and has featured performances by some of the most popular acts in the world, including Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, U2, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift.

Having such a long history in New York has earned Madison Square Garden the title of the World’s Most Famous Arena.

MSG has also hosted several disaster benefit concerts, including the 9/11 “The Concert for New York City,” the "From the Big Apple to the Big Easy" concert for Hurricane Katrina victims, and the “12-12-12, The Concert for Sandy Relief” in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy.