Cincinnati Gardens
Construction


Location	2250 Seymour Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45212
Coordinates	39°10′52″N 84°27′19″W / 39.18111°N 84.45528°W / 39.18111; -84.45528
Owner	Kenko Corporation (Robinson family)
Operator	Kenko Corporation
Capacity	10,208
Surface	Concrete (ice floor)
Opened	February 22, 1949
Closed	July 21, 2016
Demolished	March 2018
Construction cost	$3 Million ($36.9 million in 2022 dollars^[1])
Tenants
Cincinnati Mohawks (AHL / IHL) (1949–1958) Xavier Musketeers (NCAA) (occasional 1949–1979, permanent 1983–2000) Cincinnati Bearcats (NCAA) (1949–1954, 1987–1989) Cincinnati Royals (NBA) (1957–1972) Cincinnati Wings (CPHL) (1963–1964) Cincinnati Swords (AHL) (1971–1974) Cincinnati Slammers (CBA) (1984–1987) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL / IHL) (1990–1997) Cincinnati Silverbacks (NPSL) (1995–1997) Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (AHL) (1997–2005) Cincinnati Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2006–2016) Cincinnati Commandos (UIFL/CIFL) (2010–2012) Cincinnati Kings (PASL) (2010–2012) Cincinnati Thunder (NA3HL) (2015–2016)

Cincinnati Gardens was an indoor arena located in Cincinnati, Ohio, that opened in 1949. The 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) brick and limestone building at 2250 Seymour Avenue in Bond Hill had a entrance that was decorated with six three-dimensional carved athletic figures. When it opened, its seating capacity of 11,000+ made it the seventh largest indoor arena in the United States.

The Cincinnati Gardens' first event was an exhibition hockey game. It has been the home of six league championship hockey teams, and most recently was the home of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League. It also has been host to numerous other sporting events, concerts, stage shows, circuses, and political rallies. The Gardens' final tenants were the Cincinnati Rollergirls of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association and the Cincinnati Thunder of the North American 3 Hockey League.

In 2013, the Robinson family, which had owned the Gardens since 1979, put the arena up for sale. The family-controlled company, Kenko Corporation, no longer considered the arena a core asset.^[2] On June 16, 2016, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority approved a contract to acquire the property for $1.75 million from the Robinson family, which intended to repurpose the 19-acre (7.7 ha) site for future light manufacturing.^[3] Demolition took place in March 2018.^[4]

Sporting events

Cincinnati Gardens was known primarily as a venue for ice hockey, basketball, and boxing.

Hockey

The Gardens' first event was an exhibition hockey game on February 22, 1949, between the Dallas Texans of the United States Hockey League and their parent National Hockey League team, the Montreal Canadiens. Several of the Texans' players would soon seed the first professional hockey team in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Mohawks, who played at the Gardens from 1949 through 1958—three seasons in the AHL and six in the International Hockey League. Three NHL Hall of Famers played for the Mohawks — Harry Howell, Buddy O'Connor and Clint Smith — and from 1952 through 1957, the team won an IHL record five consecutive Turner Cup championships.^{[citation needed]}

Cincinnati Gardens was also home to the Cincinnati Mohawks of the Midwest Amateur Hockey League in 1966, 1968, and 1969. Most of the Mohawks games were held in the annex, but some were played in the main building.^{[citation needed]} The Xavier University Ice Hockey Program began using the Cincinnati Gardens as its home facility for the 2007-2008 season.^{[citation needed]}

The Cincinnati Swords played in the AHL as an affiliate of the NHL Buffalo Sabres from 1971 through 1974 and won the Calder Cup as AHL champions in 1973.^{[citation needed]}

The Cincinnati Wings played the 1963-64 season at the Gardens, relocating from Indianapolis (where they were known as the Capitals) after their home arena, the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, was heavily damaged in a propane explosion on October 31, 1963, that killed 74 people.

The Cincinnati Cyclones played in the East Coast Hockey League for two seasons and the IHL for five seasons at the Cincinnati Gardens. When the Cyclones moved to U.S. Bank Arena in 1997, the AHL returned to the building for the third time with the creation of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, an affiliate of the NHL Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Detroit Red Wings, who played in the building until 2005.^{[citation needed]}

The Cincinnati Thunder of the North American 3 Hockey League moved to the Gardens beginning with the 2015-16 season, making the team the Gardens' newest hockey tenant.^[5]

Though having no pro-hockey team for its last 11 years of operation, the Gardens still acted as the home rink for several area high school teams.^{[citation needed]}

Basketball

The Gardens was home to the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association (now the Sacramento Kings) from 1957 through 1972. Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson played for the Royals from 1960 through 1970. The arena hosted the 1966 NBA All-Star Game, and Royals' guard Adrian Smith was named the game's Most Valuable Player.^{[citation needed]}

College basketball, including 42 "Crosstown Shootout" games between the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, were played at the Gardens since its first week in 1949. The arena has served as the home court for both schools at various times, lastly for Xavier from 1983 until their move to the on-campus Cintas Center in 2000.^{[citation needed]}

From 1984 through 1987, the Cincinnati Slammers of the Continental Basketball Association played their home games at the Gardens.^{[citation needed]}

High school basketball also used the Gardens, both for regular season games – such as contests matching Middletown & HamiltonHighs – as well as post-season tournaments including the state tourney in 1953 & 1955.^{[citation needed]}

Boxing

The Gardens has hosted a number of boxing matches, particularly several featuring prominent local and international fighters. Eventual Heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer Ezzard Charles of Cincinnati defeated Joey Maxim in a heavyweight title contender fight on February 28, 1949, in the arena's first week. Cincinnatian Wallace "Bud" Smith defended his World Lightweight crown there on October 19, 1955. Numerous Golden Gloves competitions have drawn as many as 10,000+ fans, and a "Super Brawl Sunday" event was held in 2002.

On August 30, 2008, Relentless Events packed over 6000 fans into the arena for former heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster's comeback fight against Danny Batchelder. Brewster won by fifth-round knockout. Local favorites Rashad Holloway and Aaron Pryor Jr. also won on the undercard.

Other sports

Other sports hosted at the Gardens have included:

Indoor soccer – Cincinnati Silverbacks (1995–1997), Cincinnati Kings (2010–2012)
Roller Derby – Cincinnati Rollergirls; Cincinnati Jolters (1971)
Rodeo
Monster truck racing
Auto and motorcycle racing
Indoor football – Cincinnati Commandos (2010–2013)

Concerts

The Crickets, featuring Buddy Holly, performed three times at the arena. First on September 11, 1957, as part of the "Biggest Show of Stars of 1957" tour. Also headlining were, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and Lavern Baker. The Crickets played The Gardens on January 23, 1958, as part of "America's Greatest Teenage Recording Stars Tour". Finally, The Crickets headlined Alan Freed's "Big Beat" show on April 14, 1958, which also included sets from Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon, The Chantels, as well as others.

On August 27, 1964, The Beatles performed at the arena.^[6]

On November 27, 1965, the Rolling Stones performed at the arena.

Diana Ross & the Supremes performed at the arena on March 10, 1968.

On October 10, 1970, July 24, 1971, July 14, 1972, & May 25, 1974 the Jackson 5 performed at the arena.

On November 11, 1971, Elvis Presley performed at the arena.^[7]

On June 27, 1973, Elvis Presley again performed at the arena.

On December 4, 1973, The Grateful Dead Performed at the arena.

On May 17, 1985, Madonna performed at the arena with The Virgin Tour. Her only time to ever perform in Cincinnati. Her opening act was The Beastie Boys.

On May 23, 1986, George Thorogood & The Destroyers performed in the arena. This concert was featured on their Live album.

Bon Jovi performed in the arena on March 18 and 19, 1987. Several shots of inside and outside of the Gardens can be seen in their "Wanted Dead or Alive" video.

On November 30, 1991, Neil Young and Crazy Horse performed the "Smell the Horse" Tour. The live album WELD was recorded on this tour. The warm-up band for the evening was Sonic Youth.

Other events

From July 5 to 13, 2008, Morari Bapu held a 9-day Hindu religious event called a 'Ram Katha' at Cincinnati Gardens. This event attracted thousands of people who gathered from all over the world at Cincinnati Gardens. The Ram Katha is the largest event the Cincinnati Hindu community has hosted.^[8]

Various professional wrestling promotions held events at the Gardens as well over the years. WWE has hosted both Raw and SmackDown!. Jim Crockett Promotions hosted Starrcade 1986 shown on closed-circuit TV. TNA Wrestling had a live event at the Gardens on June 22, 2008. The Gardens was a regular stop for The Sheik's Big Time Wrestling promotion between 1964 and 1979. Pat O'Connor, Buddy Rogers, Lou Thesz and Ric Flair wrestled in the Gardens while holding the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Heavyweight Championship.

References

External links

Cincinnati Cyclones

Cincinnati Cyclones
Franchise	Team history Players First team Birmingham Bulls Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies Stockton Thunder Adirondack Thunder Current team Louisville RiverFrogs Miami Matadors
Arenas	Cincinnati Gardens Heritage Bank Center
Head coaches	Cichocki Weber Skalde Simon Macdonald Thomas Payne
Kelly Cups (2)	2007–08 2009–10
Brabham Cups (2)	2007–08 2018–19
Division titles (5)	1995–96 2007–08 2008–09 2012–13 2018–19
Affiliates	NHL New York Rangers AHL Hartford Wolf Pack

Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings
Founded in 1923 Formerly the Rochester Seagrams (1923–1942), Rochester Eber Seagrams (1942–1943), Rochester Pros (1943–1945), Rochester Royals (1945–1957), Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972); played in Kansas City-Omaha (1972–1975), Kansas City (1975–1985) Based in Sacramento, California
Franchise	All-time roster Draft history Records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	Edgerton Park Arena Rochester War Memorial Cincinnati Gardens Kansas City Municipal Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium Kemper Arena ARCO Arena I ARCO Arena Golden 1 Center
Administration	Owner(s) Vivek Ranadivé President John Rinehart General manager Monte McNair Head coach Mike Brown
G League affiliate	Stockton Kings
Retired numbers	1 2 4 6 11 12 14 16 21 27 44
NBA championships	1951
Rivalries	Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Lakers
Culture and lore	Failed relocation attempts Slamson the Lion Maloof family "Love Song" (Tesla song) Maurie Pete Carril and the Princeton offense The Greatest Show on Court Light the Beam!

Xavier Musketeers men's basketball

Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
Venues	Fenwick Club (1919–1928) Schmidt Fieldhouse (1928–1983) Cincinnati Gardens (1949–1979; 1983–2000) Cintas Center (2000–present)
Rivalries	Cincinnati Dayton
Culture & lore	2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball

Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
Venues	Schmidlapp Gymnasium (1901–1954) Cincinnati Gardens (1949–1954; 1987–1989) Armory Fieldhouse (1954–1976) Riverfront Coliseum (1976–1987) Fifth Third Arena (1989–2017; 2018–present) BB&T Arena (2017–2018)
Rivalries	Louisville Memphis West Virginia Xavier
Culture & lore	Bearcat "Cheer Cincinnati" 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl Longest game in Division I history UC Pep Band
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Cincinnati Bearcats women's basketball

Cincinnati Bearcats women's basketball
Venues	Armory Fieldhouse (1971–1976) Riverfront Coliseum (1976–1987) Cincinnati Gardens (1987–1989) Fifth Third Arena (1989–2017; 2018–present) St. Ursula Academy Gymnasium & Convocation Center (2017–18)
Rivalries	Louisville Memphis Xavier
Culture & lore	Bearcat "Cheer Cincinnati" UC Pep Band
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

Current venues in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association

Current venues in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
East region	Abe Stark Rink Shriners Auditorium Class of 1923 Arena D.C. Armory Dorton Arena Du Burns Arena Earls Court Exhibition Centre Greater Richmond Convention Haygood Skating Center Inline Skating Club of America Independence Family Fun Center John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum John Jay Doghouse Kennedy Arena Overlook Activities Center Portland Exposition Building Rhode Island Convention Center Rainbow Rink Romp'n Roll Roller Skating Rink Skate Safe America Sports Centre at MCC Le Taz
West region	1stBank Center Albuquerque Convention Center Bladium Castle Sports Club Climate Pledge Arena Colorado Springs City Auditorium Everett Community College Lane County Fairgrounds Portland Expo Center Roller King Roseville Salt Palace Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium Skateland Spartan Recreation Center Sport Center of Las Vegas TISC Veterans Memorial Auditorium
North Central region	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Alliant Energy Center The Bunker Central Ohio Roller Hockey Cincinnati Gardens Dave Andreychuk Arena Detroit Masonic Temple Indiana Farmers Coliseum Indiana Convention Center Midwest Sport Hockey Complex Minneapolis Convention Center Rivertown Sports Roy Wilkins Auditorium Sioux Falls Expo Building Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum Swonder Ice Arena UIC Pavilion UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena Wolstein Center
South Central region	Austin Convention Center Bayou Music Center Fair Park Coliseum Knoxville Civic Coliseum Mid-America Center MidSouth Fairgrounds Municipal Auditorium North Florida Fairgrounds NYTEX Sports Centre Pershing Center Rollercade Starlight Skatium Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena Tulsa Convention Center UNO Human Performance Center USA Skateplex Von Braun Center Wichita Ice Center Yaarab Shrine Center

Former arenas in the National Basketball Association

Authority control databases: Geographic