CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Gardens was host to The Beatles, Elvis and other great entertainers. It was home to the NBA Cincinnati Royals, college and high school basketball and four minor league hockey teams.
Now you have a chance to own a part of that history, before the Gardens meets the wrecking ball.
More than 500 items from the historic venue are up for bid in an online auction until 4 p.m. ET Sunday. The sale includes seats, team jerseys, hockey pucks, vintage sports equipment, original ticket stubs and programs.
Many of the auction items have been on display at The Gardens’ “Legends Museum.”
It represents a whole era of Cincinnati sports and entertainment history starting in the 1950s, decades before US Bank Arena, the riverfront stadiums and other venues were built.
"You didn't have Riverbend and stuff. It went, 'Oh you're going to the Gardens,'" said Darla Bernhardt, sports cataloger for the online auction site, Everything But The House. "The Gardens was so iconic. You had rock-roll. You had political things. You had sports."
"Went to my first Beatles concert there," said Jacquie Denny, Chief Development Officer. "Skated on Saturday nights under the big mirror ball in the ice skating rink."
"So it was really sad when they decided they were going to have to sell it and tear it down," Bernhardt said.
Now Everything But The House serves as a sanctuary for this memorabilia until the pieces find new homes.
There is a lot to choose from: bags, trophies, seats, stage lights, pictures, even the old hockey goal, which is expected to net hundreds.
But you don't need deep pockets to play ball.
"We start everything out at a dollar, so there's something for everybody at this auction," Denny said.
