History
Jay Gould II built the structure in 1926 as an indoor tennis court. After its 1945 sale it became a fight club, opening for boxing in April 1947, and soon hosted Golden Gloves bouts and televised boxing and wrestling.
Fighters such as Emile Griffith and Gerry Cooney fought there, and John F. Kennedy rallied supporters inside in 1960. Crowds thinned in the 1970s, the last card was held in June 1977, and the building was demolished that December.
Why it matters: It was one of the last of New York's neighborhood fight clubs.
Timeline
- April 8, 1947First boxing card[1]
Leo Milito beat Harry Diduck before 2,800 fans.
- October 27, 1960
John F. Kennedy held a presidential campaign rally at the arena.
- February 15, 1977Cooney's debut[1]
Gerry Cooney made his professional debut with a first-round knockout.
- June 24, 1977Final card[1]
The last boxing card drew fewer than 400.
- December 1977
The building was torn down after being sold.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Fast-food restaurant (Wendy's) and parking[1,2] |
| Surviving remnants | A Ring 8 memorial and plaque were placed in front of the restaurant in October 2012. |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Other names | Sunnyside Gardens |
|---|---|
| Location | 44-16 Queens Blvd., at 45th St., Sunnyside (Queens, New York City), New York[1] |
| Venue type | Arena |
| Sports | Boxing & wrestling |
| Level | Pro Boxing, Pro Wrestling |
| Opened | April 8, 1947[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | June 24, 1977[1,2] |
| Demolished | December 1977[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 2,500[1,2] |
| Capacity notes | About 2,400-2,500 seats. |
| Closure | Declining attendance; the property was sold and demolished. |
Documented details
- The corner of 45th Street and Queens Boulevard was co-named 'Sunnyside Garden Arena Way' in 2015.[1]
Sources
- Sunnyside Garden Arena, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, opened
- Site of former Sunnyside boxing arena gets recognition, DNAinfo New York. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, current land use, demolished, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (1)
- DNAinfo dates the boxing era from 1945 (the sale); Wikipedia gives the first card as April 8, 1947.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.