History
Built over a former transit terminal beside the Myrtle-Wyckoff station, the Grove opened in November 1926 and ran weekly boxing cards for decades, along with wrestling and basketball. Fighters including Sugar Ray Robinson and Willie Pep appeared there, and in 1939 it hosted the first televised indoor boxing match.
The arena closed in 1956 and became a supermarket. It was revived as a fight venue from 1982 into the mid-1980s, then became a warehouse that burned in 1997. Businesses now occupy the building.
Why it matters: It was one of New York's leading small boxing clubs and an early site of televised sports.
Timeline
- November 6, 1926Opening card[1]
The new arena opened with a boxing card.
- November 3, 1939
NBC televised a boxing card from the arena.
- 1956
The arena shut and the building became a supermarket.
- November 1982
The Sciacca family reopened the hall for boxing and WWF house shows ran there into 1984.
- September 25, 1997
A fire gutted the building while it was used as a warehouse.
The site today
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed |
|---|---|
| Current use | Commercial building with several businesses, including a billiards hall[1,2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | Ridgewood Grove Arena |
|---|---|
| Location | 341-343 St. Nicholas Ave. at Palmetto St., Ridgewood (Queens, New York City), New York[1,2] |
| Venue type | Arena |
| Sports | Boxing & wrestling, Basketball |
| Level | Pro Boxing, Pro Wrestling |
| Opened | November 6, 1926[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | 1956[1,2] |
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed |
| Original capacity | 4,000[1] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia gives 4,000-5,000. |
| Architect | Starrett & van Vleck[1] |
| Construction cost | About $100,000 (1926)[1] |
| Closure | Declining small-club boxing; the building was converted to a supermarket. |
Documented details
Sources
- Ridgewood Grove Arena, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, opened
- Ridgewood's most famous arena: revival and its link to WWE history, QNS / Ridgewood Times. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, current land use, events, opened
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- Wikipedia says the 1982 revival began November 20, 1982; QNS gives the first card as November 6, 1982.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.