The Cincinnati Gardens

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OTD 1949: Cincinnati Gardens opened

When it opened the Gardens was the seventh largest indoor arena in the U.S. with a seating capacity of 11,000.

In a day and age of shiny new arenas and stadiums, with luxury suites and video boards, there was a charm to the Gardens. Consider the moments and events that building hosted over the years.

Consider just some of the events at the Gardens:

NBA Cincinnati Royals, NBA All-Star game
Concerts with Elvis, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and the Jackson Five.
UC and XU basketball, 42 Crosstown Shootouts
Hockey with the Mohawks, Swords, Cyclones, Mighty Ducks
Boxing with Ezzard Charles
Middletown vs Hamilton high school basketball showdowns
Roller Derby, Pro wrestling, the Circus
Cincinnati Slammers basketball
Presidential campaign rallies for Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater
Evel Knievel
Indoor football

What an opening week for the Cincinnati Gardens:

February 22: Dallas Texans and Montreal Canadiens, exhibition hockey. The game drew 11,144 fans. At the time, it was the largest crowd gathered under one roof in the history of the city of Cincinnati.

February 23: College basketball, Cincinnati vs. Butler

February 24: College basketball, XU vs. UK
February 28: Cincinnati boxer Ezzard Charles vs. Joey Maxim (Cleveland) in a heavyweight title contender fight.

Do you have any stories/memories?