Dave Was Here

On July 20, 2016 the Cincinnati Gardens was sold.  It was my signature on the closing documents that sealed the fate of this Cincinnati icon. With the deal done, the building born in 1949 sat dark, silently awaiting execution as the new owners proclaimed their intention to repurpose the property. More plainly put, the 67 year old building would soon face the wrecking ball.

I didn't give much thought to signing what amounted to a death sentence for the Cincinnati landmark.  As an officer of a community bank, it's not unusual for me to attend a real estate closing and sign closing documents.  Often these are highly charged emotional events where buyers and sellers meet and navigate the formalities of a sale. But this wasn't a typical closing. It was just me and a singular attorney in a small room signing a series of documents. It was a seemingly non event;  no pomp, no emotion and in less than five minutes it was over and I was back to my regular routine.

Although I am the president of the entity that owned the Cincinnati Gardens, the truth be known, I had little to do with the Gardens.  I maintained an office in the building having worked for Jerry Robinson since his purchase of the building some 36 years ago, but my business was always elsewhere. I took the place for granted. For me, the Gardens was nothing more than a physical location from which to do my work and on occasion snag some free event tickets. Having no emotional attachment to the facility, it may not have been an accident that those involved in managing the Gardens weren't available to attend the closing. Surely it would have been a difficult endeavor for them.

That evening, I reflected on the day's events and the magnitude of the transaction. The destruction of the Gardens is a big deal, I thought to myself.  The Cincinnati landmark touched the life's of millions of people and holds a special place in Cincinnati History. I bet one day the Gardens will be sorely missed and folks will talk about it nostalgically, like they do the Albee Theatre and Crosley Field.  "It's a shame they tore it down," people will say.  Sadly, that's how I felt.

Originally named singularly as The Cincinnati Garden, it was envisioned with hockey in mind. It was modeled after the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and the resemblance is obvious.  That hockey palace was home to the NLH Toronto Maple Leafs for 68 years and because of its prominent downtown location was redeveloped in 2009.  It stands today as a Canadian national historical site.  

When the Garden opened on  February 22, 1949, it was a major event for the City of Cincinnati. The opening of the seventh largest arena in the United States was witnessed by dignitaries from around the country who came to town for its debut; an NHL exhibition game between the Montreal Canadians and the soon to be Cincinnati Mohawks.  Later that week Garden events included UC Baskeball, Xavier Basketball and a heavyweight boxing match that saw Cincinnatian Ezzard Charles beat Joey Maxim of Cleveland.  The Garden was a big hit and ushered in a new age for entertainment for the Cincinnati metro area.  Never had the traffic been so congested on Seymour Avenue reported the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Over its first 25 years, The Gardens was the place to see an indoor event in Cincinnati.  The building hosted hockey, basketball and most every popular concert and show of the time. Thousands of events played the Gardens to millions of patrons.  As a child I remember strolling through the travel and boat show with my parents and attending a hockey game with my uncle from Canada.  As a teen, I saw the band Creedence Clearwater Revival.  It was the summer of 1971 and my first rock concert.  I think it would be tough to find a person in the greater Cincinnati area under the age of 50 who doesn't have personal memories of  the Gardens. Books will be written.

Everything changed in 1975. Riverfront Coliseum opened and seemingly marked the end times for the Gardens.  The Coliseum booked all the big shows and popular opinion had it that there was no place in town for a so called "second rate" arena.  By 1979 the Gardens was viewed as a white elephant. It was shuttered and for sale.  As they say in today's vernacular, it was ready to be repurposed.

Along came Cincinnati real estate developer Jerry Robinson, who had a vision for the facility.  He saw a large parcel of land in a central metropolitan location with a humongous structure having high ceilings and clear free span.  With commercial-industrial development in mind, he moved forth to negotiate a real estate deal with the anxious out of town owners.  Jerry bought the building and surrounding land for $825,000.

As Jerry patiently waited for his real estate strategy to evolve, something else happened; he received calls for booking the facility. Why not book an event, he thought?  First he booked a local wrestling show and shortly thereafter an opportunity presented itself to host a national closed circuit boxing match featuring Sugar Ray Leonard vrs Roberto Duran.  The promoter included a live match showcasing a local boxer, a rising star named Aaron Pryor. 

I remember that night.  It was Friday, June 20, 1980 and the Gardens was jammed pack with a highly energized crowd exceeding 10,000.  It was the first major event at the reopened Gardens and with the Who tragedy (December, 1979) fresh in their minds, city officials were closely monitoring activities. The lobby was still packed and only a couple hundred tickets remained when Mayor Blackwell gave Garden's management the order to halt ticket sales.  

I recall a very congested main concourse. Looking into the arena I saw a scene out of  an old black and white movie with a few splashes of color.  Center court prominently displayed the boxing ring shrouded by dimmed lighting and a heavy smoky haze. When the bell rang, the action was short and sweet. Aaron Pryor took just 2 minutes 15 seconds to KO his opponent in the first round. Unfortunately, that left way too much idle time awaiting the start of the closed circuit feed and the main event.  People milled around, packing the hallways and concession areas.  There was a buzz in the air and I sensed edginess.  Folks paid $20 bucks for a seat and wanted more action.  To me it was like a pressure cooker, simmering.  I had no ticket and no seat, so I didn't linger.  Thankfully, the evening concluded with no major problems and the Cincinnati Gardens reaffirmed itself as a viable venue. Its revival would continue.
    

Around that time, Jerry relocated the offices of his real estate management company, Kenko Corporation, to the Gardens.  Kenko moved into the office suite on the second floor, in the front of the building, directly above the lobby. I was relatively new to the organization and was delighted to have an office with a window overlooking Seymour Avenue.

Jerry Robinson in 1983

More events were to come to the Gardens and in 1983 Jerry Robinson landed an anchor tenant, Xavier University basketball. The Musketeers called the Gardens home court for 17 years, accumulating an impressive 215 wins and only 25 losses. When Xavier left the Gardens in 2000 for their new arena, The Cintas Center, they were a nationally recognized basketball program. Without question, the Gardens played a role in Xavier's rise to national acclaim.  Along the way the Gardens also hosted University of Cincinnati basketball from 1987-89 and Cincinnati Cyclones hockey from 1990 to 1997. When the Cyclones relocated to Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum Jerry Robinson brought the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks to town. The Ducks skated the Garden's ice from 1997 until 2005. 

In 1997 Jerry opened Spring Valley Bank, a community bank in Wyoming, Ohio. He left his office at the Gardens and relocated to the bank on Springfield Pike.  Jerry continued his regular attendance at Gardens events, but over time he distanced himself from the Gardens operation. I can still picture Jerry walking through the arena prior to a Mighty Ducks game accompanied by Lily, his white bichon.  After the Mighty Ducks disbanded the Gardens continued a slow decline. Times had changed again. The Gardens faced competition from newer arenas like Shoemaker, Cintas and Bank of Kentucky Center. And due to the high costs of touring, a mid-sized indoor concert became a rarity. Moreover, the Garden's had no anchor tenant to provide a steady stream of revenue and lacking air conditioning, it was shuttered during the summer months.  Jerry enabled the Gardens to continue for another decade, albeit operating on "life support".

In 2013 the Gardens was put up for sale.  There was some interest, but few serious buyers. Ultimately, a quasy government agency known as the Port Of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority appeared and in the summer of 2016 purchased the Cincinnati Gardens and the 19 acres of adjacent land for 1.2 million dollars.  Their objective; to promote economic development in the region.

On a hot July afternoon, in a matter of hours, I took what I wanted from my office of 36 years. I said my goodbyes and left my mark on the black plastic covering the drafty old casement windows and my view of Seymour Avenue. In retrospect, I have come to appreciate the Cincinnati Gardens for what it was; a unique and special place with an unpretentious charm and a rich history. It was the house of the common man with a lingering aroma of popcorn and beer in the air.  There was nothing fancy about the Gardens, no boxes or club seats, but it was a fine entertainment venue for an ice show, a circus, a rodeo or a concert.  Over time, I think the Gardens will be best remembered as a great place to watch a hockey or basketball game. Every seat was a good seat. You sat up close to the action and were drawn into the excitement of the game. And there were many exciting games played at the Gardens.

Jerry Robinson through his entrepreneurial spirit provided a tremendous community service to the citizens of greater Cincinnati.  He gave a second life to the Cincinnati Gardens;  a revival of 36 years that provided many lifetimes of memories.  "I think there's a lot of love for the Gardens in this community, " Jerry told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1984. And right he was. 

 

The Cincinnati Gardens 2016  Not at all looking ready for demolition