Madison Square Garden Gets Eviction Notice From New York City, Must Vacate Premises In Next Decade

The world’s most famous arena may soon be without a place to call home.

Madison Square Garden, site of Ali-Frazier I and II, the Knicks' first professional championship victory and both the Rangers' and Big East Tournament’s most recent home, has been told to pack up all its memories and move out of its current midtown Manhattan location.

According to news reports, the New York City Council notified MSG officials they have a decade to vacate the 45-year-old premises and move to another location, which would mark the fifth home for Garden enterprises since the company’s 1879 inception.  

Dignitaries from team owner James Dolan to famed fan and filmmaker Spike Lee took to the floor to protest the move, all to no avail. Council members countered their 10-year window affords the organization enough time to find a new home, as they go about the business of using the land for an expansion of transit hub Penn Station, located just below the arena.

In the end, council members voted 47-1 to enforce the eviction notice, which comes at a particularly interesting time for Dolan given completion of the organization’s $968 million in arena renovations are expected to conclude just this fall.

“Madison Square Garden has operated at its current site for generations, and has been proud to bring New Yorkers some of the greatest and most iconic moments in sports and entertainment,” Dolan’s company said in a statement. “We now look forward to the reopening of the arena in the fall of 2013.”

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