Sarasota's John Ringling Built Madison Square Garden III on 8th Ave NYC, Ringling Died in NYC Dec 2 1936.

By the mid-1920s, the Ringling Circus had some 700 horses and 50 elephants. John Ringling, the remaining brother, worked with Tex Rickard to build a new Madison Square Garden on 8th Ave between 49th and 50th streets. Sarasota's John Ringling Built Madison Square Garden III on 8th Ave between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan NYC in 1925. John Ringling Died in NYC Dec 2nd, 1936 at his home, he was 70. In the 1920's in New York City, Yankee Stadium may be the 'House that Ruth Built', but Madison Square Garden III is definitely the 'Garden That Ringling Built'. In reality if not for Sarasota's John Ringling Madison Square Garden (MSG III) would never have been built, he financed the deal and later became the principal owner and vice president of Madison Square Garden III. In May of 1922, the Yankees broke ground on their own ballpark, on 10 acres just across the Harlem River and in view of the Polo Grounds. The new ballpark was built quickly, as construction took under 11 months. The end result was Yankee Stadium, considered by many to be an architectural work of art for its time, with an arched façade that decorated the third deck and became its primary architectural signature. It was one of the first ballparks to be called a stadium and it was the first to feature three-tiered seating. 

John Ringling, John McGraw and Sarasota Baseball: Among the reasons Sarasota was fortunate to have John Ringling here were his many important connections. One of these, John J. McGraw, legendary manager of the formidable New York Giants baseball team, was convinced by John Ringling to come to Sarasota for spring training in 1924. Like the Yankees, the Giants were a juggernaut, having won the World Series in 1921 and 1922, and the National League pennant in 1923, and were avidly followed by sports fans around the nation. Teams like the Giants brought scribes from the major city newspapers giving the community much needed publicity. It was the beginning of the transformational land boom, and getting word out about Sarasota was important for men such as Ringling, who were heavily invested in real estate to sell.

Madison Square Garden (MSG III) was an indoor arena in New York City, the third bearing that name. Built in 1925 and closed in 1968, it was located on the west side of Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan, on the site of the city's trolley-car barns. New York Americans game program cover for hockey at Madison Square Garden, the third garden, known as Madison Square Garden III, was built on 50th Street and Eighth Avenue by boxing promoter Tex Rickard and John Ringling, Ringling fronted the money for the build from the fortunes he made in the railroad business. The New York Rangers got their name in a wordplay on Tex's name (e.g., Tex's Rangers). In 1925 John Ringling became the principal owner and vice president of Madison Square Garden III. It was built in 249 days on the site of the city's street car barns. This was the basis for the "Curse" that supposedly prevented the Rangers from winning the Stanley Cup again until 1994. While the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus had debuted at the Garden in 1919, the third garden saw large numbers of performances. The circus was so important to the Garden that when the Rangers played in the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals, the team was forced to play all games on the road (the Rangers won the series anyway). 

The circus would continue to perform as often as three times daily, repeatedly knocking the Rangers out of the Garden at playoff time, throughout the life of the third Garden. Even at the fourth Garden, games would have to begin as late as 9:00 p.m. to accommodate the circus. The Circus Acrobatics were very dramatic including acts in the Rings as well as on the high wire and trapeze. One dramatic act which was only performed in the Garden, and not taken on the road with the traveling Circus, involved Blinc Candlin, a Hudson, New York fireman, who rode his (already antique) 1880s High Wheel bicycle on the high wire every season for over 2 decades starting in the 1910s and running well through the 1930s.

Bill Warner Private Investigator Sarasota 941-926-1926 - Cheaters and Child Custody Cases at http://www.wbipi.com/