Island Garden

Last updated
Island Garden under construction in 1956 Island Gardens, West Hempstead, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a24789.tif
Island Garden under construction in 1956

The Island Garden Arena was a 5,200-seat arena in West Hempstead, New York. It was built in 1957 by Arnold "Whitey" Carlson, [1] a descendant of Swedish immigrants. Carlson's grandfather was Henrik Carlson, a noted San Diego sculptor who was the Foreign Art Director for the San Diego Exposition (now Balboa Park).

Over the years, concert acts such as Cream, the Dave Clark Five, Louis Armstrong, The Byrds, The Jeff Beck Group, The Rascals, Sly and the Family Stone, Duke Ellington, Joan Baez, Procol Harum, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan performed at the venue. [2] [3] The Island Garden Arena also hosted boxing matches, professional wrestling, [4] circuses, rodeos, stamp shows, [5] midget car racing, and boat shows. [6] [1]

The arena hosted the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association from 1969 to 1972. The Nets were unable to play any home playoff games in 1971 because the arena was booked with other events; [7] they played one home playoff game at Hofstra University, and two at Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum. In 1971–72, the Nets posted their first winning season, advancing all the way to the 1972 ABA Finals, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers. Late in the season, the team moved from the Island Garden into the new Nassau Coliseum. In 1976, the Nets were admitted into the National Basketball Association, moved to New Jersey, [8] and eventually becoming today's Brooklyn Nets. [9] [10]

The arena was partially demolished in 1973, unable to compete with Nassau Coliseum. A shopping center was built on that portion of the site. The remaining portion of the structure was rebuilt into a youth basketball venue in 1998. It has three courts for simultaneous gameplay or practice. [1] Today, the location of Island Garden is 45 Cherry Valley Avenue, West Hempstead. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassau County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Nassau County is an affluent inner suburban county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau County's population was 1,395,774, making it the sixth-most populous county in New York State, and reflecting an increase of 56,242 (+4.2%) from the 1,339,532 residents enumerated at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Mineola, while the county's largest town is Hempstead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Islanders</span> National Hockey League team in Elmont, New York

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, and play their home games at UBS Arena. The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises in the New York metropolitan area, along with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, and their fanbase resides primarily on Long Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Nets</span> National Basketball Association team in New York City

The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The club was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBA's rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before relocating to Long Island, New York, in 1968 and changing their name to the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships. In 1976, the ABA merged with the NBA, and the Nets were absorbed into the NBA along with three other ABA teams, all of whom remain in the league to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniondale, New York</span> Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States

Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's north campus, as well as a portion of its southern campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassau Coliseum</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, U.S.

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, east of New York City. The Long Island venue is approximately 7 miles (11 km) east of the eastern limits of the New York City Borough of Queens, and is also next to the Meadowbrook Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolina Cougars</span> Basketball team in Raleigh, North Carolina

The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful seasons in Houston at the Sam Houston Coliseum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barclays Center</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City, U.S.

Barclays Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association. The arena also hosts concerts, conventions and other sporting and entertainment events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the New York metropolitan area</span>

Sports in the New York metropolitan area have a long and distinguished history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 NBA playoffs</span> Postseason tournament

The 1994 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP.

The 1976 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1975–76 season. The tournament concluded with the New York Nets defeating the Denver Nuggets four games to two in the ABA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lighthouse Project</span> Mixed use in Uniondale, New York

The Lighthouse Project, officially named The Lighthouse at Long Island, was a proposed transformation of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the area surrounding it into a modern suburban area. The project was first introduced by New York Islanders owner Charles Wang. The base of the project was a newly renovated Coliseum for the New York Islanders to play in. Surrounding the Coliseum would be houses, offices, restaurants, and various stores, as well as Long Island's first five-star hotel. There would also be an athletic complex, conference and exhibition facilities, and a minor league baseball ballpark.

The Hofstra Pride men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, United States. Hofstra played its first game in 1936, and currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islanders–Rangers rivalry</span> Sports rivalry between the New York Islanders and Rangers

The Islanders–Rangers rivalry, also known as the Battle of New York, is a local sports rivalry between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. Both teams play in New York, with the Rangers in the New York City borough of Manhattan, and the Islanders in the Long Island county of Nassau near its border with Queens. They are two of the three teams that play in the New York metropolitan area, the other being the New Jersey Devils who play in Newark, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knicks–Nets rivalry</span> National Basketball Association cross-town rivalry in New York City

The Knicks–Nets rivalry is a crosstown rivalry between New York City's two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams: the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Both teams compete in Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The New York Knicks were established in 1946 as one of the charter franchises of the NBA, and have been based at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan since 1968. The Nets were established in 1967 as a member of the now-defunct American Basketball Association, and joined the NBA in 1976. They have been based at Barclays Center in Brooklyn since 2012, though have played in the New York metropolitan area their entire existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Nets</span> American professional basketball team of the NBA G League

The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County, New York. The Nets became the twelfth Development League team to be owned by an NBA team when it was announced in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UBS Arena</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Elmont, New York, U.S.

UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, directly adjacent to the New York City limits. Opened in 2021, it is the home of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Nassau Coliseum. The arena officially seats 17,250 patrons for NHL games and up to 19,000 for concerts and other select events. Fans and sports writers have affectionately nicknamed the arena "The Stable" due to the arena being located at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred racing venue.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Winzelberg, David (November 8, 1998). "At Island Garden, New Life for Old Arena". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  2. ↑ "Island Garden Arena, West Hempstead, NY, USA Concert Setlists | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  3. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1958-06-30). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ↑ "WWWF Results from West Hempstead 04/21/67". Boardreader.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1957-09-23). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ↑ Forgeron, Harry V. (1972-02-13). "Visitors Drop In at Island Garden to See Clams and Oysters Grow". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  7. ↑ "1970-71 ABA Game by Game Log-- Part 4".
  8. ↑ "Nets Logo History". Brooklyn Nets. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  9. ↑ "Remember the ABA: New York Nets".
  10. ↑ Hassan, John (1997). The 1998 ESPN Information Please Sports Almanac . New York: Hyperion Press. p.  552. ISBN   0-7868-8296-4.
  11. ↑ "Island Garden : Locations". islandgarden.leagueapps.com.

See also

Preceded by Home of the New York Nets
1969 – 1972		Succeeded by
40°42′26″N73°39′24″W / 40.70722°N 73.65667°W / 40.70722; -73.65667


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.