TD Garden celebrates 30 years of Boston history

From basketball glory to presidential moments, TD Garden celebrates 30 years as Boston’s hub for sports, music and unforgettable memories.

Can you really call it the new garden if it’s been around for 3 decades? While it may seem hard to believe, in 2025 TD Garden celebrates its 30th anniversary. The building has been the scene of multiple banner ceremonies. Creating memories across music, entertainment, and politics, but it took some time to emerge from the shadow of its iconic predecessor. The old garden was built in 1927. It was built for three things hockey. Indoor track and boxing Hall of Fame sports writer Bob Ryan began covering the Celtics for the Boston Globe in 1969. I felt like *** big gymnasium, you know, you want *** good, *** good arena in basketball in my judgment is where you could say it’s *** gym. Well, I had that feeling and, and, and for basketball, but what the building had in character, it lacked in amenities. It was famous for its obstructed view seats, brazen rodents, and lack of air conditioning. Of course the most famous game of for that was uh 84. It is 97 °F inside the Boston Garden at tip off. Now there is *** fact that is not hyperbole and. It, it’s, it’s brutal. I’ve never in all the years I’ve gone there and I went there and, and all events. I’ve never seen more people wearing fewer clothing. In 1987, garden owner Jeremy Jacobs named Larry Malter the venue’s new president, tasking the Connecticut native with making improvements to the famed but faulty facilities. No ventilation in the building. There was no circulation of air. The electric systems were antiquated. The concourses were narrow, as Molter recalls, ideas for building *** new arena went back to the 1960s, taking decades to gain traction. There were two events at least which caught. People’s attention. It was the Stanley Cup finals game with Edmonton where we had to evacuate the building because the lights went out and there was fog on the ice. There was *** Celtics Atlanta Hawks basketball game that was canceled in the 2nd quarter because condensation came up from the ice through the parquet and people were slipping. I think at that point the collective wisdom in the town was this is an embarrassment. We need to figure out *** way to make this happen, this new arena. Still, you’re going to replace and demolish the beloved Boston Garden. Well, I always used to say to people, do you still live in the same house that you grew up in? And most of the time people would say no, and I would say, but you have memories of that house, don’t you? And they would say, yeah, and I said that’s the same way with the Boston Garden. Nobody’s taking away those memories, but you’re gonna make new memories with your family and friends in this new building. In the spring of 1993, officials broke ground for the garden’s successor, with naming rights granted to Charmut Bank. However, Shamut decides that they’re going to be bought by Fleet Bank. And we are in construction and fabrication of *** $5 million scoreboard that has four sides that already say Shaman Center on it. The scoreboard, along with the venue’s seats and signage, all had to change ahead of the building’s grand opening on September 30, 1995 when New England got its first glimpse of the building then known as the Fleet Center. Gladys Knight, we had, um, James Taylor, we had the gay men’s choir. We wanted to demonstrate that for that moment that building was open to everybody in the community, but even the new digs weren’t immune to criticism. I thought they did *** terrible job in the beginning. The concourses, there was no evidence of no, no really great evidence of the multi champion Celtics or even the Bruins. The the starting place for everything of uh historical nature in Boston it’s got to be the sports museum. Uh, Richard Johnson’s done *** phenomenal job of curating uh that that museum, but the museum’s greatest exhibit might just be its home. TD Garden is literally the hub of the hub. It’s not just the hub of hockey, it’s the hub of everything, fundraisers such as the great. One fun concert that was held here back in 2013. This is where Barack Obama launched his political career, really his keynote speech in the 2004 convention was groundbreaking. There’s been activity at the corner of Canal and Causeway Street since 1928. This building is the proud bearer of that ancestry.

From basketball glory to presidential moments, TD Garden celebrates 30 years as Boston’s hub for sports, music and unforgettable memories.

Updated: 4:50 PM EST Nov 11, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

In 2025, TD Garden marks its 30th anniversary, celebrating its transformation from the historic Boston Garden into a state-of-the-art arena hosting sports, concerts, and major events.Hall of Fame sportswriter Bob Ryan recalls the old Boston Garden’s charm and challenges.”Built in 1927, it was modeled after Madison Square Garden and designed for hockey, indoor track, and boxing,” he said. The venue became legendary for its obstructed seats, rodents, and lack of air conditioning — especially during the sweltering 1984 NBA Finals, when temperatures hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit at tipoff.By the 1980s, the aging arena was in crisis. Then-owner Jeremy Jacobs appointed Larry Moulter as president to modernize the venue.”There was no ventilation, the electric systems were antiquated, and the concourses were narrow,” Moulter said. A power outage during the Stanley Cup Finals and a canceled Celtics-Hawks game due to condensation convinced city leaders that a new arena was essential.Construction began in 1993, and the new facility — originally the Shawmut Center — opened in 1995 as the FleetCenter, with performances by Gladys Knight, James Taylor and the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. Later renamed TD Garden, it has become Boston’s premier venue for sports and entertainment.Ryan noted that early designs lacked recognition for the Celtics and Bruins’ rich histories, but the Sports Museum, curated by Richard Johnson, has since preserved that legacy.”TD Garden is literally the hub of the hub,” Johnson said. “It’s where Barack Obama gave his 2004 Democratic Convention speech — it’s a place of history.”

In 2025, TD Garden marks its 30th anniversary, celebrating its transformation from the historic Boston Garden into a state-of-the-art arena hosting sports, concerts, and major events.

Hall of Fame sportswriter Bob Ryan recalls the old Boston Garden’s charm and challenges.

“Built in 1927, it was modeled after Madison Square Garden and designed for hockey, indoor track, and boxing,” he said. The venue became legendary for its obstructed seats, rodents, and lack of air conditioning — especially during the sweltering 1984 NBA Finals, when temperatures hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit at tipoff.

By the 1980s, the aging arena was in crisis. Then-owner Jeremy Jacobs appointed Larry Moulter as president to modernize the venue.

“There was no ventilation, the electric systems were antiquated, and the concourses were narrow,” Moulter said. A power outage during the Stanley Cup Finals and a canceled Celtics-Hawks game due to condensation convinced city leaders that a new arena was essential.

Construction began in 1993, and the new facility — originally the Shawmut Center — opened in 1995 as the FleetCenter, with performances by Gladys Knight, James Taylor and the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. Later renamed TD Garden, it has become Boston’s premier venue for sports and entertainment.

Ryan noted that early designs lacked recognition for the Celtics and Bruins’ rich histories, but the Sports Museum, curated by Richard Johnson, has since preserved that legacy.

“TD Garden is literally the hub of the hub,” Johnson said. “It’s where Barack Obama gave his 2004 Democratic Convention speech — it’s a place of history.”