View source for Chicago Stadium

{{short description|Former indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, United States}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{For|the NFL stadium in this city|Soldier Field}}
{{Infobox venue
| name               = Chicago Stadium
| nickname           = {{plainlist|
*''"The Madhouse on Madison"''
*''"The House That Paddy Built"''<ref name="chiboxing">{{cite book |title=Chicago Boxing |page=2 |first=J. J. |last=Johnston |year=2004 |author2-first=Sean |author2-last=Curtin |publisher=Arcadia |isbn=9780738532103}}</ref>
}}
| image              = Chicago Stadium 1984.jpg
| caption            = Chicago Stadium in 1984, ten years before closure
| fullname           = 
| address            = 1800 West [[Madison Street (Chicago)|Madison Street]]
| city               = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| country            = [[United States]]
| coordinates        = {{Coord|41|52|54|N|87|40|22|W|type:landmark_region:US-IL_source:gnis|display=inline,title}}<ref>{{cite gnis |id=406053|name=Chicago Stadium (historical) |entry-date=15 January 1980}}</ref>
| mapframe-zoom      = 13
| broke_ground       = July 2, 1928<ref>{{cite news|title=Work on Chicago's New Sports Arena|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TaVQAAAAIBAJ&pg=5041,3802928&dq=chicago+arena&hl=en|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|Milwaukee Journal]]|date=July 3, 1928|access-date=March 28, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
| built              = 
| opened             = March 28, 1929
| closed             = September 9, 1994
| demolished         = February–May 1995<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Chicago-Stadium-Goes-Down-3046216.php Chicago Stadium Goes Down – SFGate<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
| owner              = Chicago Stadium Corp.
| operator           = Chicago Stadium Corp.
| surface            = 
| construction_cost  = $5–9.5 million (est.)<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|9500000|1929}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| architect          = Hall, Lawrence & Ratcliffe, Inc.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is Comiskey Upper Deck A Problem?|first=Blair|last=Kamin|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/09/19/is-comiskey-upper-deck-a-problem/|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=September 19, 1993|access-date=March 28, 2012}}</ref>
| builder            = [[Paddy Harmon]]
| general_contractor = 
| former_names       = 
| tenants            = [[Chicago Blackhawks]] ([[National Hockey League|NHL]]) (1929–1994)<br />[[Chicago Stags]] ([[Basketball Association of America|BAA]]/[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]) (1946–1950)<br />[[Chicago Majors]] ([[American Basketball League (1961–1963)|ABL]]) (1961–1963)<br />[[Chicago Bulls]] ([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]) (1967–1994)<br />[[Chicago Sting]] ([[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]]/[[Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)|MISL]]) (1980–1988)
| seating_capacity   = 18,676 (basketball)<br />17,317 (ice hockey)<br />18,472 (ice hockey with standing room)
| dimensions         = 
}}
'''Chicago Stadium''' was an [[indoor arena]] in Chicago from 1929 to 1995, located at 1800 West [[Madison Street (Chicago)|Madison Street]]. When it was built, it was the largest indoor arena in the world with a maximum seating capacity of 26,000.<ref name="Lowe">{{Cite news |last=Lowe |first=Mike |date=2024-10-06 |title=Long-lost blueprints show Chicago Stadium's enduring significance |url=https://wgntv.com/news/cover-story/chicago-stadium-blueprints-history/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |publisher=WGN}}</ref> It was the home of the [[National Hockey League]]'s [[Chicago Blackhawks]] and the [[National Basketball Association]]'s [[Chicago Bulls]]. It was used for numerous other sporting events, opening with a championship boxing match in March 1929.  In sports, it gained the nickname, the "Madhouse on Madison", and a feature during events was the playing of the largest [[Barton pipe organ]] ever built.  It also hosted five [[United States presidential nominating conventions]], including for [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and for his opponents in 1932 and 1944.

The Stadium was built by [[Paddy Harmon]], a promoter, who sank his entire fortune into the project, only to lose control to the Stadium shareholders. After exiting receivership in 1935, the Stadium was owned by the Norris and Wirtz families until its closure in 1994 and demolition in 1995. It was replaced by the [[United Center]] built across the street, also owned substantially by the Wirtz family.

==History==
The Stadium hosted the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] of the [[National Hockey League|NHL]] from [[1929–30 NHL season|1929]] to [[1993&ndash;94 NHL season|1994]] and the [[Chicago Bulls]] of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] from [[1967–68 NBA season|1967]] to [[1993&ndash;94 NBA season|1994]]. The [[arena]] was the site of the first [[National Football League|NFL]] [[1932 NFL Playoff Game|playoff game]] in [[1932 NFL season|1932]]; the 1932, 1940, and 1944 [[Democratic National Convention]]s; and the 1932 and 1944 [[Republican National Convention]]s, as well as numerous concerts, [[rodeo]] competitions, [[boxing]] matches, political rallies, and plays.
[[File:Chicago Stadium 1930.jpeg|thumb|left|190px|The interior of Chicago Stadium in February 1930, prior to a Blackhawks/[[Boston Bruins|Bruins]] game]]

The Stadium was built by Harmon, first proposed in 1926, not long after the legalization of professional boxing in Illinois. Encouraged by the success of the [[New York Rangers]] and [[New York Americans]] expansion NHL teams, and their [[Madison Square Garden]], Harmon also wanted to bring an NHL team to Chicago, but he lost out to [[Frederic McLaughlin|Col. Frederic McLaughlin]]. This team would soon be known as the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]] (later 'Blackhawks'). With or without the Black Hawks, Harmon then spent $2.5&nbsp;million and borrowed more funds from friends, including $600,000<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Reporter |date=February 2, 1935 |title=Wealthy Chicago Sportsman Takes Over Stadium |page=9}}</ref> from [[James E. Norris]], in order to build the stadium. Eric Hall was the architect and he designed a stadium where all had a view of the action. His design philosophy was "The man who pays the lowest admission price has as much right to see the show as those who sit at the ringside".<ref name="ct-end">{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-05-17-9405180036-story.html |title=END IS NEAR FOR CHICAGO'S SHRINE |website=chicago Tribune |first=Blair |last=Kamin |date=May 17, 1994 |accessdate=November 1, 2023}}</ref> The building used Art Deco flourishes, including flattened columns, long vertical windows, relief sculptures of various athletics and medallions of wrestlers adorned the walls above entrances.<ref name="ct-end"/>

Breaking ground in July 1928, it opened eight months later, on March 28, 1929. Various reports give the cost at US$5 million,<ref name="35-sale"/> US$7 million<ref name="ct-end"/> and {{USD|9500000|year=1929}}. Chicago Stadium was the largest indoor arena in the world at the time, with permanent seating for 15,000 people, and a capacity for 26,000 with floor seats and standing room. It was situated in Harmon's old "Valley" neighbourhood where he grew up.<ref name="chiboxing"/> Its first event was a boxing match between [[Tommy Loughran]] and [[Mickey Walker (boxer)|Mickey Walker]] for a purse of {{USD|150000|year=1929}}.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Rochester Evening Journal and the Post Express |title=Big Purse For Chicago Bout |page=10 |date=February 11, 1929}}</ref>

[[Detroit Olympia|Detroit's Olympia]] stadium, built two years earlier, was a model for Chicago Stadium. The Stadium was also the first arena with an air conditioning system. However, the system was fairly rudimentary by modern standards, and was memorably given to filling the arena with fog during late-season basketball and hockey games. The Stadium also had no elevators. To get kegs of beer to upper-floor concessions, concession workers formed a line to pass the kegs upstairs. To return the kegs downstairs, the workers simply rolled them down the stairs, damaging the stairs in the process.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2017/01/26/blackhawks-rocky-wirtz-reminisces-chicago-stadium.html |title=Blackhawks Chairman Wirtz reminisces about the old Chicago Stadium |website=Chicago Business Journal |date=January 26, 2017 |first=Don |last=Muret |accessdate=November 1, 2023}}</ref>
[[File:Section of Chicago Stadium.png|thumb|Sectional plan of the arena, showing the 266' [[Span (engineering)|span]].]]
Harmon became the Stadium's first president. Building it incurred enemies. Harmon himself helped put out a fire on the Stadium's roof set by disgruntled workmen.<ref name="spokane">{{cite news |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |date=March 29, 1929 |title=Fighting Paddy Harmon Wins Battle Against All Odds |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zc5XAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22paddy+harmon%22&pg=PA46&article_id=5889,6513262}}</ref> Harmon reached an impasse in getting the Black Hawks as a tenant, although both sides wanted the team to move to the Stadium from the [[Chicago Coliseum]], which was much smaller. Fed up with the delay, the Stadium board of directors forced Harmon to resign as president, although he remained an executive with the Stadium.<ref>{{cite news |work=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix |date=November 20, 1929 |title=Harmon Resigns |page=13}}</ref> Sheldon Clark became the new president, and he retained Nate Clark as the Stadium's boxing matchmaker.<ref>{{cite news |work=Painesville Telegraph |title=Clark Named as Stadium Prexy |date=November 23, 1929 |page=6}}</ref> The board acceded to the Black Hawks' terms and the team moved in weeks later.{{sfn|Ross |2015 |pp=204-205}} After Harmon was ousted, dynamite was placed at the home of James Norris when Sidney Strotz, treasurer of the Stadium was attending for dinner. The dynamite's fuse went out, preventing its explosion.<ref name="butler">{{cite news |work=Chicago Tribune |date=December 10, 1929 |title=Butler Saves Dinner Guests from Dynamite |page=1}}</ref>

Harmon sank his entire fortune into the Stadium, and when he died less than a year later due to a car crash, he had only his shares in the Stadium and $2.50 in cash on hand to leave to his widow and daughter.<ref>{{cite news |work=Greensburg Daily Tribune |date=August 13, 1930 |title=Boxing Show For Harmon's Widow |page=11}}</ref> His funeral was held in the Stadium, paid for by friends, and the Stadium held a benefit boxing show in August 1930 to benefit his family.<ref>{{cite news |work=St. Joseph Gazette |title=Boxers Harmon Helped Ignored Benefit Show |date=October 29, 1930 |page=6}}</ref>

Struggling to pay the interest on the Stadium's debt, the Stadium planned to turn the Stadium into a dog track for the summer of 1930 with the backing of [[Thomas Duggan]], but dog racing was ruled illegal in Chicago. [[Al Capone]] had operated dog racing tracks in Cook County for several years before the authorities stopped his tracks from operating.<ref>{{cite news |work=Chicago Tribune |date=May 11, 1930 |pages=1, 3 |title=Supreme Court Rules Dog Race Tracks Illegal}}</ref>

On January 20, 1933, the Stadium went into receivership.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal |date=February 26, 1935 |title=James Norris Gets Complete Control of Chicago Stadium |page=8}}</ref> Sidney Strotz of the Stadium Corporation and Fred E. Hummel were named receivers. Strotz announced to the media that the Stadium would operate much like it had before.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Border Cities Star |date=January 19, 1933 |title=Chicago Stadium Placed In Hands of Receivers |page=2}}</ref> In 1935, the Stadium was sold to Norris and [[Arthur Wirtz]], a Chicago real estate owner. Norris and Wirtz had in 1933 purchased the Detroit NHL franchise and the Detroit Olympia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/sports/wirtz-timeline-lays-out-history-familys-wealth-wake-rockys-death |title=Timeline: Booze, buildings, banks. And, of course, hockey. All parts of the Wirtz family legacy |website=chicagobusiness.com |date=July 25, 2023 |accessdate=November 1, 2023 |author=Crain's Staff}}</ref> By court judgment, control of the Stadium changed hands to Norris and Wirtz for a total of {{USD|250000|year=1935}}, of which $150,000 went for back taxes, $50,000 for reorganization expenses, and $50,000 for new working capital.<ref name="35-sale">{{cite news |newspaper=Waycross Journal-Herald |title=Control of Stadium At Chicago Changes |date=February 26, 1935 |page=2}}</ref>

===Seating capacity===
The Stadium sat 17,317 for hockey at the time of closure, though standing room pushed the "actual" attendance beyond that figure. The official attendance figures in the published game summaries were often given in round numbers, such as 18,500 or 20,000. The largest recorded crowd for an NHL game at the stadium was 20,960 for a playoff game between the Blackhawks and [[Minnesota North Stars]] on April 10, 1982.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/image/387788199/?match=1&clipping_id=186687344</ref>

{{col-begin}}{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Basketball<ref>2012–2013 Chicago Bulls Media Guide</ref>
|-
! style="{{NBA color cell|Chicago Bulls}}"|Years
! style="{{NBA color cell|Chicago Bulls}}"|Capacity
|-
! style="{{NBA color cell2|Chicago Bulls}}"|1929–1958
| {{center|17,000}} 
|-
! style="{{NBA color cell2|Chicago Bulls}}"|1958–1986
| {{center|17,374}}
|-
! style="{{NBA color cell2|Chicago Bulls}}"|1986–1989 
| {{center|17,458}} 
|-
! style="{{NBA color cell2|Chicago Bulls}}"|1989–1994
| {{center|17,339}}
|-
! style="{{NBA color cell2|Chicago Bulls}}"|With standing room
| {{center|18,676}} 
|} 
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Hockey<ref>2012–2013 Chicago Blackhawks Media Guide</ref>
|-
! style="background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#CF0A2C 5px solid; border-bottom:#000000 5px solid;"|Years
! style="background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#CF0A2C 5px solid; border-bottom:#000000 5px solid;"|Capacity
|-
| style="text-align:center"|'''1929–1952'''
| {{center|16,000}}
|-
| style="text-align:center"|'''1952–1984'''
| {{center|16,666}}
|-
| style="text-align:center"|'''1984–1994''' 
| {{center|17,317}}
|-
| style="text-align:center"|'''With standing room''' 
| {{center|18,472}}
|}
{{col-end}}

=="The Madhouse on Madison"==
[[File:Barton organ originally installed in the Chicago Stadium, Chicago IL USA; console detail.jpg|thumb|The Barton pipe organ originally installed in Chicago Stadium boasted six manuals (keyboards) and over 800 stops, with thousands of pipes and percussions installed in the center ceiling high above center court.]]

In addition to the close-quartered, triple-tiered, boxy layout of the building, much of the loud, ringing noise of the fans could be attributed to the fabled 3,663-pipe [[Bartola Musical Instrument Company|Barton]] organ. It was estimated to have the total volume of 25 brass bands.<ref name="dupre">{{cite news |work=The Daily Herald |date=September 20, 1929 |page=21 |title=Marcel DuPre Great Organist at Chicago Stadium}}</ref> The organ was considered to have the world's largest theater organ console with six manuals (keyboards) and over 800 stops. It was Harmon's intention that the massive organ would be needed to provide the music for whatever event was playing in the building.<ref name="dupre"/> It was played by [[Al Melgard]] for decades during hockey games there, earning the Stadium the moniker "The Madhouse on Madison".

For years, the Stadium was also known as "The Loudest Arena in the NBA", due to its barn-shaped features. When the Stadium closed in 1994, the organ was removed and prepared to be installed in the 19th hole museum. Soon after the museum closed, sending the organ along with another theatre organ to a warehouse in Phoenix Arizona. In October 1996, a year after the stadium was razed, a propane tank explosion melted and destroyed both pipe organs, excluding the console. The organ is currently in the residence of Phil Maloof and is in good working condition with new pipes. {{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

In the [[Stanley Cup]] semifinals of 1971, when the Blackhawks scored a series-clinching empty-net goal in Game seven against the [[New York Rangers]], [[NHL on CBS|CBS]] announcer [[Dan Kelly (sportscaster)|Dan Kelly]] reported, "I can feel our broadcast booth shaking! That's the kind of place Chicago Stadium is right now!" The dressing rooms at the Stadium were placed underneath the seats, and the cramped corridor that led to the ice, with its twenty-two steps, became the stuff of legend. Legend has it a [[German Shepherd]] wandered the bowels at night as "the security team."

[[File:Chicagostadiumnight150.jpg|thumb|left|Chicago Stadium at Night, 1950 Curteich Linen Postcard]]

During the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals against Montreal, Blackhawks owner [[Bill Wirtz]] had the horn of his yacht (Kahlenberg Q-3) installed in the building, and had it sound after Blackhawks goals. This practice would, in the ensuing years, become commonplace in professional hockey.<ref name="news">{{cite news|last1=Grossman|first1=Evan|title=The history behind the NHL's ubiquitous sound for scoring: the goal horn|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/history-behind-goal-horn-nhl-ubiquitous-scoring-sound-article-1.2613820|access-date=January 27, 2017|work=New York Daily News|date=April 25, 2016}}</ref>

[[Nancy Faust]], organist for 40 years at [[Chicago White Sox]] games, also played indoors at the Stadium, at courtside for [[Chicago Bulls]] home games from 1976 to 1984, and on the pipe organ for [[Chicago Blackhawks]] hockey there from 1985 to 1989. She was replaced at the keyboard in 1990 by Frank Pellico, who served as the Hawks' organist until 2025.

It also became traditional for Blackhawk fans to cheer loudly throughout the singing of the national anthems, especially when sung by Chicago favorite [[Wayne Messmer]]. Denizens of the second balcony often added sparklers and flags to the occasion. Arguably, the most memorable of these was the singing before the [[42nd National Hockey League All-Star Game|1991 NHL All-Star Game]], which took place during the [[Gulf War]]. This tradition has continued at the [[United Center]]. Longtime PA announcer Harvey Wittenberg had a unique monotone style: "Blackhawk goal scored by #9, Bobby Hull, unassisted, at 6:13." Chicago Stadium also provided a unique fan experience. On the west side of the building was the Players/Employee/VIP Visitors Parking Lot. It is also where Teams/Bands/Politicians/Performers would enter the building through the legendary Gate 3 1/2 (Appropriately placed between Gates 3 and 4 on the North and South Sides). Although protected by fencing, it was where fans could see the talent get out of their cars or teams exit their buses before going into the building. It was also a great autograph and informal "meet and greet" opportunity.

The mid-1980s saw the beginning of a famous tradition for Bulls games at Chicago Stadium. Then-public address announcer [[Tommy Edwards (announcer)|Tommy Edwards]] would introduce the team's starting lineup, accompanied by spotlights amid a darkened stadium, and the playing of "[[Sirius (instrumental)|Sirius]]" by [[The Alan Parsons Project]]. This trademark introduction would continue under Edwards' successor [[Ray Clay]], and soon became synonymous with the Bulls' 1990s dynasty with [[Michael Jordan]], [[Scottie Pippen]] and head coach [[Phil Jackson]]. During this period, the Bulls ceased using the organ in favor of recorded music in-game.

In 1992, both the Blackhawks and the [[Chicago Bulls|Bulls]] reached the finals in their respective leagues. The Blackhawks were swept in [[1992 Stanley Cup Finals|their finals]] by the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], losing at Chicago Stadium, while the Bulls won the [[1992 NBA Finals|second of three straight NBA titles]], the first on their home floor, against the [[Portland Trail Blazers]]. The next time the Bulls clinched the championship at home was in the newly built United Center in {{nbafy|1996}} (when they did so against the [[Seattle SuperSonics]]), their second season at the new arena, and the Blackhawks would not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until {{scfy|2010}} (in which they defeated the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] in six games), their 16th season in the new building, although they won their first championship since {{scfy|1961}} in [[Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)|Philadelphia]]. The Blackhawks last won the Stanley Cup at the Stadium in {{scfy|1938}}; they did not win the Cup again at home until {{scfy|2015}} at the United Center.

===Last analog game clock in any NHL arena===
It was also the last NHL arena to retain the use of an analog dial-type large four-sided clock for timekeeping in professional hockey games. [[Boston Garden]] and the Detroit Olympia (as well as the [[Buffalo Memorial Auditorium]] in its pre-NHL days) had identical scoreboards but replaced them with digital timers in the mid-1960s, with Boston having their digital four-sided clock in use for the [[1969–70 NHL season]]. After removing the balcony-edge game clocks at either end and at mid-ice zones of the Stadium, the replacement four-sided game clock suspended over center ice of the Stadium, built by [[Bulova]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rireds.org/2010Website/photos_arenaclock.htm |title=Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society — The Arena Clock |website=www.rireds.org |publisher=Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society |access-date=April 1, 2014}}</ref> as their "Sports Timer", was installed in Chicago in 1943. Each side of the clock had a large diameter 20-minute face in the center that kept the main game time for one period of ice hockey, with a set of shorter black-colored minute and longer red-colored sweep-second hands, and a pair of smaller, 5-minute capacity dual-concentric faces for penalty timekeeping, to the left and right of the primary 20-minute face—with each of the 5-minute penalty timers having its own single hand and each clock face, both the central main timer's dial and flanking penalty timer dials (when a penalty was counting down) illuminated from behind during gameplay. The "outer" face of each penalty timer had a single hand that avoided obscuration of the "inner" face and its own, "solid" single hand, through the use of metal rods forming the outer hand's "shaft", holding its hand's "pointer" head<ref>[https://puckstruck.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/chicago-clock.jpeg Closeup of Chicago Stadium's Bulova Sports Timer showing close-up details]</ref>—the set of two concentric faces for each penalty timer dial could handle two penalties for each set, with an illuminated "2" on each penalty timer dial lighting up to display a [[Penalty (ice hockey)#Minor penalty|minor penalty]] infraction. It was difficult to read how much time was left in a period of play on the main game timer's large face, as each minute of play was marked by a longer line on every third "seconds" increment on the central main dial, due to the minute hand's twenty-minute "full rotation" timing capacity for one period of ice hockey. The difficulty was compounded on the main central dial from the aforementioned minute and sweep-second hands being in constant motion during gameplay. The "Sports Timer's" only digital displays were for scoring and for penalized [[Number (sports)#Ice hockey|players' numbers]], each digit comprising a six-high, four-wide incandescent light [[dot matrix]] display.

That clock eventually was replaced by a four-sided scoreboard with a [[digital clock]], first used on September 21, 1975, in Blackhawks preseason play,<ref>{{cite news |last=Langford |first=George |date=August 14, 1975 |title=Hakws' Johnston could report to camp on time/Tick, clock, tick (photo caption) |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1975/08/14/page/47/article/tick-clock-tick |newspaper=The Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, IL USA |access-date=February 23, 2017 }}</ref> crafted by the Day Sign Company of Toronto, much like the one used at the end of the 1960s (and constructed by Day Sign Company) to replace the nearly identical Bulova Sports Timer game-timekeeping device in the Boston Garden, and then in 1985 by another, this one with a color electronic message board. That latter scoreboard was built by White Way Sign, which would build scoreboards for the [[United Center]].

The Stadium was also one of the last three NHL arenas (the others being Boston Garden and the [[Buffalo Memorial Auditorium]]) to have a shorter-than-regulation ice surface, as their construction predated the regulation. The distance was taken out of the neutral zone.

==Demolition==
[[File:United Center 9.JPG|thumb|Commemorative plaque in the pavement on the north side of Madison Street]]
[[File:Chicago Stadium-March95.jpg|thumb|left|Chicago Stadium mid-demolition, March 1995]]
After the Blackhawks and Bulls moved to the [[United Center]], Chicago Stadium was demolished in 1995. Its site is now a parking lot for the United Center across the street. [[CNN]] televised the demolition, showing devoted Blackhawks and Bulls fans crying as the wrecking ball hit the old building. The console of the Barton organ now resides in the [[Maloof family|Phil Maloof]] residence in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]]. Also, the center of the Chicago Bulls' floor resides in [[Michael Jordan]]'s trophy room at his mansion in North Carolina.

A pavement plaque with the words "Chicago Stadium – 1929–1994 – Remember The Roar" is located behind a statue of the Blackhawks' greatest players on the north side of the United Center. Two [[frieze]]s from Chicago Stadium were incorporated into a building at [[St. Ignatius College Prep School]], 1076 W. Roosevelt Road.

Two of the Stadium's main parking lots, which are still used for United Center parking, retain signs that read "People's Stadium Parking".

==Events==
[[File:Cowboy Morgan Evans.jpg|thumb|[[Steer wrestling|Bulldogging]] photo of [[Cowboy Morgan Evans]] at the late 1920s [[Tex Austin]] [[Rodeo]] in Chicago Stadium]]

===Basketball===
*[[1973 NBA All-Star Game|1973]], [[1988 NBA All-Star Game|1988]]: Chicago was the host city for the [[NBA All-Star Game]].
*1987: [[Michael Jordan]] of the [[Chicago Bulls]] scored 61 points on April 16 <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198704160CHI.html|title=Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls Box Score, April 16, 1987 |website=basketball-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=2 November 2022}}</ref> to become the only NBA player other than Wilt Chamberlain to top 3,000 points in a single season.
*1991: Chicago Bulls won their first championship.
*1992: [[Great Midwest Conference]] men's basketball tournament.
*1992: [[Chicago Bulls]] won the second of three straight NBA titles in Game 6 of the [[1992 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]]. This would be the only time the Bulls clinched the championship while playing on the Stadium's floor, though they did it twice at the new [[United Center]] (in [[1996 NBA Finals|1996]] and again in [[1997 NBA Finals|1997]]).
*1993: Chicago Bulls won their third championship.
*1994: The final Bulls home game at Chicago Stadium was played on May 20, a 93-79 Bulls win over the New York Knicks in game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals (the team would lose game 7 at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chicago |date=1994-05-21 |title=TORRID BULLS FORCE GAME 7 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/05/21/torrid-bulls-force-game-7-2/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chicago |date=1994-05-23 |title=REMEMBER THE ROAR: THERE'LL BE NO MORE IN CHICAGO STADIUM |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/05/23/remember-the-roar-therell-be-no-more-in-chicago-stadium/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
*1994: The final event at Chicago Stadium was [[Scottie Pippen]]'s Ameritech Classic charity basketball game, which was organized through Reverend [[Jesse Jackson]]'s Push-Excel program and was held on September 9, 1994. [[Michael Jordan]], despite being in retirement at the time (he would return to basketball six months later), participated and scored 52 points, leading the White team to a 187–150 victory over Pippen's Red team. At the end of the game, Jordan kneeled and kissed the Bulls logo at center court.

===Hockey===
*1934: The Blackhawks win the [[Stanley Cup]] on home ice by defeating the [[Detroit Red Wings]] 1–0 in the second overtime in game four of the [[Stanley Cup Finals]].
*1938: The Blackhawks win the [[Stanley Cup]] on home ice by defeating the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] 4–1 in game four of the [[Stanley Cup Finals]]. This was the Blackhawks' last Stanley Cup win in Chicago Stadium. 
*1961: [[Bobby Hull]] scored twice in Game 1 of the [[Stanley Cup]] finals, won 3–2 by the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] over the [[Detroit Red Wings]]. The Blackhawks would go on to win the Stanley Cup at Detroit's [[Olympia Stadium]], winning the series 4–2. Later, the team made it to the finals five more times ([[1962 Stanley Cup Finals|1962]], [[1965 Stanley Cup Finals|1965]], [[1971 Stanley Cup Finals|1971]], [[1973 Stanley Cup Finals|1973]], and [[1992 Stanley Cup Finals|1992]]), but they lost in all those series. 
*[[1961 NHL All-Star Game|1961]], [[1974 NHL All-Star Game|1974]] and [[1991 NHL All-Star Game|1991]]: Stadium was host for the [[NHL All-Star Game]].
*1992: The last [[Stanley Cup Finals]] game at Chicago Stadium was played on June 1. The [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] swept the series 4–0 and won game 4 6–5, capturing their second consecutive Stanley Cup. 
*1994: The final ice hockey game at Chicago Stadium was played on April 28. The Blackhawks lost to the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] 1–0, eliminating them from the first round of the [[1994 Stanley Cup playoffs]]. The only goal in the game, and last goal ever scored, came from [[Mike Gartner]] in the first period.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chicago |date=1994-04-29 |title=ONLY THE MEMORIES REMAIN |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/04/29/only-the-memories-remain/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Football===
*1932: Due to a snowstorm followed by frigid temperatures, the [[1932 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]] played the [[1932 NFL Playoff Game|1932]] [[History of National Football League Championship|NFL championship]] game inside Chicago Stadium against the [[1932 Portsmouth Spartans season|Portsmouth Spartans]] (later the [[Detroit Lions]]). The Bears won 9–0.

===Soccer===
*1984: The [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|NASL]] held the only All-Star game ever played in its 17 outdoor and 4 indoor seasons. The All Stars defeat the host [[Chicago Sting]] 9–8 before 14,328 fans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?p=1214 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-05-03 |archive-date=2013-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024142547/http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?p=1214 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Boxing===
* 1929: Stadium opened with bout between [[Tommy Loughran]] and [[Mickey Walker (boxer)|Mickey Walker]] on March 28.
* 1943: Lee Savold scored three consecutive knockouts. Nate Bolden in January, Lem Franklin in February and April. 13,000 fans at third match against Franklin.
* 1947: Often cited as one of the great bouts of the 20th Century, [[Rocky Graziano]] scored a sixth-round technical knockout of [[Tony Zale]] before 18,547 on July 16, 1947.
* 1951: In their sixth and final fight, [[Sugar Ray Robinson]] [[Jake LaMotta vs. Sugar Ray Robinson VI|defeated]] [[Jake LaMotta]] on Valentine's Day with a 13th-round TKO.
* 1953: Undefeated heavyweight champion [[Rocky Marciano]] [[Rocky Marciano vs. Jersey Joe Walcott II|knocked out]] [[Jersey Joe Walcott]] on May 15 in the first round.

===Concerts===
*1972: November 10–11: [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]]
*1974: January 3–4: Bob Dylan with the Band
*1974: May 11: [[Grand Funk Railroad]] with [[Wet Willie]]
*1974: November 1–2: [[Elton John]] Caribou Tour with [[Kiki Dee]]
*1975: June 1–5 & 7th: [[The Beach Boys|Beach Boys]] and [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]] (Beachago Tour).
*1975: [[Santana (band)|Santana]]'s [[Borboletta Tour]] came here on July 5.
*1975: [[The Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas '75]] stopped here July 22–24.
*1975: [[The Who]] performed here on December 4–5 during their [[The Who Tour 1975|1975 tour]].
*1975–76: December 31-January 1: [[Frank Sinatra]] met the new year in Chicago Stadium, performing a concert with 23 songs.
*1976: [[Paul McCartney]]'s first three concerts in Chicago in 10 years; he performed May 31 through June 2 in his [[Wings Over the World tour|Wings Over America Tour]].
*1977-78: [[Queen (band)|Queen]], 3 concerts: [[A Day at the Races Tour]] - January 28, 1977 with Special Guest [[Thin Lizzy]], [[News of the World Tour]] - December 5, 1977, [[Jazz Tour]] - December 7, 1978
*1977: In the spring of 1977, [[Led Zeppelin]] played four shows here during their final [[Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1977|North American tour]] (they had previously played three concerts at this venue on their [[Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1975|1975 North American Tour]] and two concerts on their [[Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1973|1973 North American Tour]]). Two more were scheduled for later in the tour but were cancelled due to the death of [[Robert Plant]]'s son. Tickets from the cancelled partial show on April 9 were to be honored at the rescheduled shows, which never materialized. (The band was booked to perform four concerts at the stadium as part of another North American tour in November 1980, but the tour was officially cancelled on September 27, two days after [[John Bonham]]'s death.)
*1977: [[Elvis Presley]]'s last concert in Chicago was in the Stadium on May 1–2.
*1977: Fleetwood Mac, July 23–24
*1978: [[Billy Joel]] October 13, 1978. For his 52nd Street Tour.
*1979: The [[Bee Gees]] performed two sold-out shows during their [[Spirits Having Flown Tour]] on July 30–31.
*1979-81: [[Michael Jackson]] [[The Jackson 5|and his brothers]] performed in the Stadium during their [[Destiny World Tour|Destiny Tour]] on November 2, 1979, and their [[Triumph Tour]] on August 28, 1981.
*1981: November 5, Electric Light Orchestra with opening act [[Hall & Oates]].
*1994: The final concert was held on March 10, featuring [[Pearl Jam]], [[Urge Overkill]] and [[The Frogs (band)|The Frogs]].

===In film===
*1961: Scenes from the 1962 version of ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]]'' depicting the Republican [[nomination convention]], were filmed in the stadium. The scenes are set in New York's [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]].

===Other events===
* 1930: Funeral of Stadium builder [[Paddy Harmon]], benefit boxing match for Harmon's widow and children.
* 1932, 1940 and 1944: [[Democratic National Convention]]s, at which [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] won his first, third and fourth nominations from the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] for [[President of the United States]].
* 1932 and 1944: [[Republican National Convention]]s, at which [[Herbert Hoover|Herbert C. Hoover]] and [[Thomas E. Dewey]], respectively, would win the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]'s nomination for President of the United States. Both lost to Roosevelt.
* 1933: Funeral of Chicago mayor [[Anton J. Cermak]], the sole fatality in [[List of United States presidential assassination attempts and plots#Franklin D. Roosevelt|an assassination attempt on President-elect Franklin Roosevelt]].
* 1936: Presidential election rallies for both Republican [[Alf Landon|Alfred Landon]] and Democrat [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Roosevelt's rally drew a crowd of over 1&nbsp;million, with more than 200,000 attendees overwhelming the stadium's capacity of 25,000.<ref>Soderstrom, Carl; Soderstrom, Robert; Stevens, Chris; Burt, Andrew (2018). ''Forty Gavels: The Life of Reuben Soderstrom and the Illinois AFL-CIO''. '''2.''' Peoria, IL: CWS Publishing. pp. 104, 107-108. {{ISBN|978-0998257532}}.</ref>
* 1946: While waiting in a backstage area to go onto the arena floor during a rodeo, [[Roy Rogers]] proposed to [[Dale Evans]].
* 1968: Months after winning a [[1968 Winter Olympics]] gold medal, [[Peggy Fleming]] drew large crowds to the Stadium with the [[Ice Capades]].
* 1969: In a joint venture between [[NBC]] and [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]], [[Disney on Parade (stage show)|Disney on Parade]] launched on December 25.

==See also==
* [[Ray Clay]] – Former Bulls public address announcer

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book | last=Ross | first=J. Andrew | title=Joining the Clubs: The Business of the National Hockey League to 1945 | year=2015 | publisher=Syracuse University Press| location=Syracuse, New York| isbn=978-0-8156-3383-9 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://basketball.ballparks.com/NBA/ChicagoBulls/oldindex.htm Chicago Stadium's Basketball History]
*[http://hockey.ballparks.com/NHL/ChicagoBlackhawks/oldindex.htm Chicago Stadium's Ice Hockey History]

{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-sta|et}}}}
{{Succession box
| title = Home of the<br />[[Chicago Blackhawks]]
| years = 1929–1994
| before = [[Chicago Coliseum]]
| after = [[United Center]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = Host of the<br /> [[NHL All-Star Game]]
| years = 1948<br />1961<br />1974<br />1991
| before = <br />[[Maple Leaf Gardens]]<br />[[Montreal Forum]]<br />[[Madison Square Garden]]<br />[[Civic Arena (Pittsburgh)|Pittsburgh Civic Arena]]
| after = <br />[[Maple Leaf Gardens]]<br />[[Maple Leaf Gardens]]<br />[[Montreal Forum]]<br />[[Spectrum (arena)|Philadelphia Spectrum]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = Home of the<br />[[Chicago Bulls]]
| years = 1967–1994
| before = [[International Amphitheatre]]
| after = [[United Center]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = Host of the<br /> [[NBA All-Star Game]]
| years = 1973<br />1988
| before = <br />[[The Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]]<br />[[Kingdome]]
| after = <br />[[Seattle Center Coliseum]]<br />[[Astrodome]]
}}
{{end}}
{{Near West Side, Chicago}}
{{Democratic National Convention venues}}
{{Republican National Convention venues}}
{{Chicago Bulls}}
{{Chicago Blackhawks}}
{{Chicago Sting}}
{{Former NBA arenas}}
{{Former NHL arenas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1929 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:1995 disestablishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:American football venues in Chicago]]
[[Category:Basketball Association of America venues]]
[[Category:Basketball venues in Chicago]]
[[Category:Boxing venues in Chicago]]
[[Category:Chicago Stags]]
[[Category:Chicago Sting sports facilities]]
[[Category:Defunct boxing venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct indoor arenas in Illinois]]
[[Category:Defunct indoor soccer venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct ice hockey venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct multi-purpose stadiums in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct NFL venues]]
[[Category:Defunct National Hockey League venues]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Chicago|Stadium]]
[[Category:Demolished music venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Demolished sports venues in Illinois]]
[[Category:Demolished theatres in Illinois]]
[[Category:Former NBA venues]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in Chicago]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in Chicago]]
[[Category:Indoor soccer venues in Illinois]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor venues]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1929]]
[[Category:Sports venues demolished in 1995]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Chicago|Stadium]]
[[Category:Wrestling venues in Chicago]]
[[Category:Chicago Blackhawks]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls]]