When and where in New York City...

The first structure to be called Madison Square Garden was a roofless hippodrome at 26th Street and Madison Avenue that was previously leased by P. T. Barnum. It was unveiled to the public as Madison Square Garden on Memorial Day, 1879. The hippodrome was demolished in 1889, and the second Madison Square Garden was built on the same site, opening in June 1890. The third Madison Square Garden was built on Eighth Avenue in 1925, and the current Garden opened just up the block in 1968.