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Exhibition Stadium
| Owner |
| City of Toronto |
| Built |
| 1959 |
| Cost |
| $17.6 MIL (1976) |
| Surface |
| AstroTurf |
| Capacity |
38,522 (1977)
43,737 (1977-1988) |
| Dimensions |
| 330 - 375 - 400 - 375 - 330 |
| Fence Height |
| 12 feet, 8 where padded. |
| Closed |
| May 28, 1989 |
| Demolished |
| February 1, 1999 |
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Exhibition Stadium (1977-1989)
Also Known As: "Mistake by the Lake"
Originally built for Canadian football and other events, the Toronto Blue Jays called Exhibition Stadium home from 1977 to 1989. The 4th stadium on the site to be built since 1879, Exhibition Stadium was an awful place for baseball.
It was the only major league game played where the field was completely covered by snow, the first game in Blue Jays history. It was the location of the only major league game called due to wind. It was the only major league stadium where the bleachers were covered and the grandstand was not. Aside from weather effects, the odd shape of the stadium made many of the seats very far away from the field. Some seats were as far as 820 ft away - the farthest distance of any major league stadium used as a home field.
Due to it’s close proximity to Lake Ontario, the leftover food from football and baseball games attracted many seagulls. In August 1983 Dave Winfield was arrested for killing a seagull when he threw a ball and hit the gull on the head.
In 1983 the Blue Jays and Argos of the CFL agreed to abandon the stadium once a domed building could be constructed closer to downtown Toronto. In 1989 the Blue Jays moved to Skydome.
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Skydome
| Owner |
| Rogers Communications |
| Construction |
| April 1986-May 1989 |
| Cost |
| $570 million |
| Surface |
AstroTurf (1989-2004)
FieldTurf (since 2005) |
| Capacity |
| 50,516 |
| Dimensions |
| 328 - 375 - 404 - 375 - 328 |
| Gates Open |
Sat/Sun: 2 hours before start time
Mon-Fr: 1:30 before start time |
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Skydome (1989-2005)
Renamed to the "Rogers Centre" in 2005.
 In June 1989 the Toronto Blue Jays left Exhibition Stadium for the newly completed Skydome. Situated closer to downtown and next to the CN Tower, the Skydome was ideal for baseball in Toronto as it has a roof closed to the elements when necessary. Skydome was the first stadium in the world to have a fully-retractable motorized roof.
Designed by Rod Robbie & Michael Allen and built by EllisDon Construction (London, Ontario) - construction was finished in just 3 years (April 1986 to June 1989). The cost of the building, $570 million was paid for federal and provincial government, the City of Toronto and many corporations (aswell as the Blue Jays).
The stadium officially opened on June 3, 1989 with "The Opening of SkyDome: A Celebration" with a crowd of over 50,000 in attendance. It arrived a few months late for the Blue Jays, who had planned on the stadium being opened for their first home game of the 1989 season.
 On February 2, 2005 Rogers Communications announced a 3 year corporate contract to change the name of Skydome to the Rogers Centre (2005-Present). After the purchase, the building was refurbished including replacing the Jumbotron with a ProStar screen, erecting new monitors (including monitors build on the outfield wall). FieldTurf was also installed to replace the old AstroTurf.
In November 2005 the Rogers Centre received a complete makeover in the 100 level concourse, making it larger. Seats had to be removed which slightly brought down the capacity size. 43 luxury boxes were also renovated and some were converted in to party suites which can accommodate up to 150 people.
The Rogers Centre became a completly smoke free building in 2006.
Location:
Rogers Centre is located in the heart of the entertainment district of downtown Toronto at the corner of Front and John Streets, west of the CN Tower. Rogers Centre is just a short walk from Union Station (subway and train station), just north of Toronto’s Harbourfront. Rogers Centre is also accessible from Lakeshore Blvd. at the Spadina Avenue exit.
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