MUSIC - Sweet home Chicago by Ramsay Lewis and the Urban Knights

Chicago Stadium - demolished (1995) site is now a parking lot

Location 1800 W. Madison St., Chicago Illinois -- Bounded by W. Warren Blvd., N. Wolcott Ave., N. Damen Ave.



Chicago stadium, "the madhouse on Madison." It was more than just an arena. It was home to millions of Chicagoans for 65 years. Boxing, basketball, hockey, concerts and yes, even a football game were played inside the old barn. The stadium was built in 1929 for 7 million dollars by Paddy Harmon. Located at 1800 West Madison, it was a short distance from the famed downtown Chicago loop. The stadium opened with a boxing match on March 28, 1929. In its day, it was the premier arena in the United States.

Hockey was king in the stadium, and the Blackhawks were the rulers. Stars like Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, the late Keith Magnuson, Denis Savard, Stan "the cat" Mikita and the great Bobby Hull, played on the stadium ice. And all have had their numbers hoisted to the rafters at the stadium. Even the legendary Bobby Orr donned the white jersey with the Indian head logo for a while. When the Hawks were playing, the stadium literally shook. I saw 2 games there, and what was amazing to me was, even during the national anthem, the building was shaking. After every Hawks goal, a foghorn would sound underneath the scoreboard. The horn was taken off a ship that was on Lake Michigan. You talk about LOUD. That would get the Hawks fans going even more. The stadium had the smallest ice surface in the NHL. In 1994, the Blackhawks played their last games at the old arena. The final regular season goal was scored by Dirk Graham. The final goal scored by a Blackhawk was during the 1994 playoffs. Jeremy Roenick scored a goal in game 4 in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 4 - 3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The final goal was by the Leafs Mike Gartner. Hockey had sadly come to a close at Chicago stadium.

The Bulls were running rampant during the late 80's thru 1994. Led by Michael Jordan, the Bulls won 3 world championships at the stadium. The other 3 were won across the street at the new United Center. As you might have guessed, Bulls tickets were very hard to get during their championship run. It didn't start out that way. Their first season was in 1966, and the Bulls were playing their home games at the old International Amphitheater on Halsted Street. They moved into the stadium in 1967 to sparse crowds. It wasn't until air Jordan appeared that the Bulls began selling out every night. The numbers of Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan were retired and hung from the rafters along side the Blackhawks retired numbers.

The monsters of the Midway, the Chicago Bears even played a game inside the walls of Chicago stadium. The 1032 NFL championship game was played there due to frigid conditions and a huge snowstorm that left Wrigley field unplayable. The Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0.

Everyone who was anyone in music played at Chicago stadium. From Led Zeppelin to the Who, to Frank Sinatra, to the King, Elvis, all played inside the stadium. Presidential conventions were held there too, along with ice shows, circuses and the ever popular wrestling matches. The final concert was held in March of 1994. Pearl Jam, urge overkill and the frogs rocked the old arena one last time. The arena was host to the 1948, 1961, 1974 and 1991 NHL all star games. The NBA held their all star games there twice, in 1973 and again in 1988.

The two most distinct pieces if you will, of Chicago stadium were gate 3 1/2, and the massive Barton organ. Gate 3 1/2 was on the West side of Chicago stadium. Fans would line up to see the stars and athletes enter the building. The Barton organ was literally built into the rafters of Chicago stadium. The organ was so big, that it took 24 railroad cars to transport it from Oshkosh Wisconsin, where it was built. At full volume, the organ had the power of 25 100 piece brass bands, and could literally blow out every window inside the stadium. THAT is loud. It sat on it's own perch at the East end. Al Melgard, the "Melancholy Dane" was the house organist for 4 decades and sat at the console at the East end of the stadium. Eventually after the stadium was demolished, the console ended up in the music room of Phil Maloof in Las Vegas. Maloof is one of the owners of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.

Finally in 1994, most anything from the stadium that could be, was auctioned off. Demolition started in 1995, and a few months later, the madhouse was reduced to rubble. It is now a parking lot directly across the street from the United center.

She may be gone, but like so many other grand stadiums and arenas, she will NEVER be forgotten. The new United center may have all the bells and whistles and luxury boxes, but it will never replace the rocking madhouse on Madison. Chicago stadium WAS and STILL is the greatest building in hockey. "Remember the roar!"