Sunnyside Garden Arena Way (Queens)
Present name:None
Location:At the intersection of 45th Street and Queens Boulevard
Honoree: The Sunnyside Garden Arena was originally built as a tennis club by Jay Gould in the 1920s. The club was sold in 1945 and turned into an arena that staged boxing matches, as well as wrestling, roller derby and kick-boxing. Emile Griffith and Gerry Cooney are among the boxers that fought at the 2,000-seat arena, as well as the actor Tony Danza. The Sunnyside Arena was often used as a stepping stone by New York area fighters before they moved on to larger venues, such as Madison Square Garden. One of the biggest events held at the venue was a John F. Kennedy presidential rally in 1960. In addition, proms were held there and the movie Mr. Universe was filmed there. The arena was closed and demolished in 1977. (Van Bramer)
LL:2015/15