Where was the Motor City Arena?

**EastsideAl** · March-04-14, 06:22 PM

In various boxing records and records of big band concerts/dances from the late '40s and early '50s I continually run into references to a venue called the Motor City Arena. It was apparently at one time owned and operated by the Norris family of Olympia and Red Wings fame. However, this 1955 Sports Illustrated article: http://si.com/vault/article/magazine...55/4/index.htm strongly suggests later mob control.

Otherwise, online information seems very sparse. Does anyone know or remember where this place was and how long it lasted? Are there any pictures anywhere?

**Dan Wesson** · March-04-14, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

In various boxing records and records of big band concerts/dances from the late '40s and early '50s I continually run into references to a venue called the Motor City Arena. It was apparently at one time owned and operated by the Norris family of Olympia and Red Wings fame. However, this 1955 Sports Illustrated article: http://si.com/vault/article/magazine...55/4/index.htm strongly suggests later mob control.

Otherwise, online information seems very sparse. Does anyone know or remember where this place was and how long it lasted? Are there any pictures anywhere?

Does this help?

http://books.google.com/books?id=6Cu...avenue&f=false

**townonenorth** · March-04-14, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

In various boxing records and records of big band concerts/dances from the late '40s and early '50s I continually run into references to a venue called the Motor City Arena. It was apparently at one time owned and operated by the Norris family of Olympia and Red Wings fame. However, this 1955 Sports Illustrated article: http://si.com/vault/article/magazine...55/4/index.htm strongly suggests later mob control.

Otherwise, online information seems very sparse. Does anyone know or remember where this place was and how long it lasted? Are there any pictures anywhere?

Seems as if it was on Woodward avenue, according to one snippet of article I have found.

**townonenorth** · March-04-14, 07:24 PM

Allegedly this is a picture of Briggs stadium. I'm not convinced.

**Dan Wesson** · March-04-14, 07:35 PM

That building is still there. The mob ties and motor city gym.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=4363+...ed=0CCQQ8gEwAA

An Arena? Hmmmmmmmm....

**Dan Wesson** · March-04-14, 08:32 PM

Imma gonna say that the Motor City Arena was actually the Motor City Gym based on the lack of evidence of a large room.

An excerpt from an article...

The size and importance of events scaled back in the 1950s, with the small Motor City Gym hosting fights regularly. It became famous, like Philadelphia’s Blue Horizon in the 1990s, as one of the first venues to televise its bouts. The Arcadia and Arena Gardens continued their club shows as well but lacked the free publicity of television. Detroit hosted another heavyweight title, when Ezzard Charles decisioned Jersey Joe Walcott at the Olympia stadium. 20 years followed in which no title came to Detroit. The rise of boxing on TV had much to do with that, with New York City’s TV rights worth more than live gates in Michigan. Television did give rise to one local pug, with favorite son Chuck Davey one of the first boxers pegged as a “TV fighter.” Davey was well-spoken, white, a college graduate, and a southpaw who could box well enough to get a title shot. Davey’s celebrated run ended when Hall-of-Famer Kid Gavilan knocked him out in ten rounds.

http://doghouseboxing.com/DHB/Mulcahey012911.htm

And it appears most fights referenced occurred on a tuesday, "Sic transit gloria Tuesday" that were televised.

**MikeM** · March-04-14, 08:33 PM

That's Olympia, townonenorth.

**rb336** · March-04-14, 10:24 PM

there was Arena Gardens:

http://www.jankaulins.com/p727.html

**EastsideAl** · March-05-14, 12:53 AM

Thanks everybody! I've not only been in that building, but my sister even worked there far a while. Having been in the rather low-ceilinged first floor, it's bizarre to me that it once was an "arena" that was a boxing venue, and even more so that it was host to regularly televised events. I never would have thought that.

When I first started to run into listings for "Motor City Arena" in boxing records, I assumed that it was probably just a mislisting for Arena Gardens, which I knew to have hosted boxing cards. However, the question for this thread came up when I was doing some research on Detroit baritone saxist Pepper Adams and ran into a listing for a Stan Kenton Orchestra show in 1956 [[when Pepper was in that band) that was supposedly at Motor City Arena.

I was very surprised to see a musical event listed for this venue [[although now, knowing where it was, I have to wonder if that wasn't a mislisting itself for the Greystone). It occurred to me that Arena Gardens would have been gone by that date - having been torn down for the building of the Ford Freeway - so the "Motor City Arena" must have been a separate place. The intrigue took me to that Sports Illustrated article I linked above, which confirmed the existence of the venue and led me to wonder just where exactly the place was.

I also wonder about if the connection to the Norris family and Olympia that's suggested by that SI article was an actual one.

**townonenorth** · March-05-14, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Thanks everybody! I've not only been in that building, but my sister even worked there far a while. Having been in the rather low-ceilinged first floor, it's bizarre to me that it once was an "arena" that was a boxing venue, and even more so that it was host to regularly televised events. I never would have thought that.

When I first started to run into listings for "Motor City Arena" in boxing records, I assumed that it was probably just a mislisting for Arena Gardens, which I knew to have hosted boxing cards. However, the question for this thread came up when I was doing some research on Detroit baritone saxist Pepper Adams and ran into a listing for a Stan Kenton Orchestra show in 1956 [[when Pepper was in that band) that was supposedly at Motor City Arena.

I was very surprised to see a musical event listed for this venue [[although now, knowing where it was, I have to wonder if that wasn't a mislisting itself for the Greystone). It occurred to me that Arena Gardens would have been gone by that date - having been torn down for the building of the Ford Freeway - so the "Motor City Arena" must have been a separate place. The intrigue took me to that Sports Illustrated article I linked above, which confirmed the existence of the venue and led me to wonder just where exactly the place was.

I also wonder about if the connection to the Norris family and Olympia that's suggested by that SI article was an actual one.

Which is what led me to post that photo above of what was mislabeled Briggs stadium in the VMC site at Wayne.

You really have to wonder, though, about the connection between Greystone and the gym. If I were to guess, I'd say that there was a working relationship between the two, and the Arena was possibly in the larger Greystone?

**Hamtragedy** · March-05-14, 09:46 AM

The Norris Family, which owned the Red Wings, and another Norris Family member, which owned the Chicago Blackhawks, and "Tex Ricker", who owned Madison Square Gardens and the New York [[Tex's) Rangers, were all boxing promoters. If you ever wonder why fighting is prevalent in the National Hockey League, look no further than 3 or the original 6 teams being owned by boxing promoters.

**Brock7** · March-05-14, 10:19 AM

FWIW, on this site of boxing records the latest year Motor City Arena is listed as the venue is '58 and the earliest year for Graystone is '59.
http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?hum...86&cat=referee

**Dan Wesson** · March-05-14, 10:24 AM

I betcha the whole thing was along the lines of CKLW's Big Time Wrestling.

Small TV studio with a small enthusiastic audience looking larger than life.

Selling advertising and building up interest for the larger venues like Cobo and the Olympia.

**56packman** · March-05-14, 01:05 PM

Hmmm, the Jan Kaulins website is interesting RB336, This is new to me. I know a couple of pictures they are selling are Manning Bros. photos, and the folks at the Francis Palms building might be very interested to know this. I wonder if these are the same people who bought some Manning Bros. photos from the current owners of the business [[Forbes family) and mass-produced reproductions that are being sold in antique shops in this area?

**Trumpeteer** · March-05-14, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by rb336

there was Arena Gardens:

http://www.jankaulins.com/p727.html

That is Arena Gardens as my Dad fought many of his 60+ professional fights there from 1931 -34. He was one fight away from fighting for the World Bantamweight Championship in 1934 representing Detroit when he had to reitre at the ripe old age of 22! Below is a ling to his page on BoxRec.com

http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Ernie_Maurer

**townonenorth** · March-05-14, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by Trumpeteer

That is Arena Gardens as my Dad fought many of his 60+ professional fights there from 1931 -34. He was one fight away from fighting for the World Bantamweight Championship in 1934 representing Detroit when he had to reitre at the ripe old age of 22! Below is a ling to his page on BoxRec.com

http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Ernie_Maurer

Interesting. How did you get his record put into that site? Or did you?

**rb336** · March-05-14, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Trumpeteer

That is Arena Gardens as my Dad fought many of his 60+ professional fights there from 1931 -34. He was one fight away from fighting for the World Bantamweight Championship in 1934 representing Detroit when he had to reitre at the ripe old age of 22! Below is a ling to his page on BoxRec.com

http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Ernie_Maurer

cool. I always enjoyed the lower weight-class bouts more than heavyweight

**Trumpeteer** · March-08-14, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by townonenorth

Interesting. How did you get his record put into that site? Or did you?

I spent over 6 years researching my dad's boxing records by having microfilm sent down here to GA to my local library of the Detroit News and Free Press from 1931 - 1934, well over 4,000 daily papers! I now have documentation of his fights and contacted the "owner" of BoxRec and IBRO who graciously put my dad's record on their site.

I'm VERY proud of what my Dad accomplished! All for Detroit!

**Lombaowski** · March-23-14, 02:13 AM

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy

The Norris Family, which owned the Red Wings, and another Norris Family member, which owned the Chicago Blackhawks, and "Tex Ricker", who owned Madison Square Gardens and the New York [[Tex's) Rangers, were all boxing promoters. If you ever wonder why fighting is prevalent in the National Hockey League, look no further than 3 or the original 6 teams being owned by boxing promoters.

Terrific little nugget here.

**stareagle** · September-21-15, 09:12 PM

The Motor City Gym was a two-story building next door to the Graystone Ballroom. They originally started upstairs in the gym, then turned the first floor into a small arena. In the late 1950s, the promoter worked out a deal to move next door to the Graystone.

**EastsideAl** · September-22-15, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by stareagle

The Motor City Gym was a two-story building next door to the Graystone Ballroom. They originally started upstairs in the gym, then turned the first floor into a small arena. In the late 1950s, the promoter worked out a deal to move next door to the Graystone.

That building, on the southwest corner of Woodward and Canfield, is now the multi-story HopCat bar, restaurant, and music venue. Was just in there on Saturday night for a birthday celebration.