Chicago Stadium

The Madhouse on Madison

Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago from 1929 to 1995, located at 1800 West Madison Street. When it was built, it was the largest indoor arena in the world with a maximum seating capacity of 26,000. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls.

Quick Facts

Nickname: "The Madhouse on Madison"; "The House That Paddy Built"
Address: 1800 West Madison Street
City: Chicago, Illinois
Country: United States
Groundbreaking: July 2, 1928
Opened: March 28, 1929
Closed: September 9, 1994
Demolished: February–May 1995

Lore & Background

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. Frederic McLaughlin in a direct competition for an NHL team; it states that Harmon wanted to bring an NHL team to Chicago but lost out to Col. Frederic McLaughlin, and that this team would soon be known as the Chicago Black Hawks (later 'Blackhawks').

Reader's Guide

The Stadium hosted the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL from 1929 to 1994 and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA from 1967 to 1994. The arena was the site of the first NFL playoff game in 1932; the 1932, 1940, and 1944 Democratic National Conventions; and the 1932 and 1944 Republican National Conventions, as well as numerous concerts, rodeo competitions, boxing matches, political rallies, and plays.

Did You Know?

The Stadium was the first arena with an air conditioning system, though it often filled the arena with fog during late-season games.
The Stadium's Barton pipe organ had six manuals and over 800 stops, and was considered the world's largest theater organ console.
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.