SkyDome

Lore & Background

The idea of building a domed stadium can be traced back to the bid that Toronto lost to Montreal as the Canadian candidate city for the 1976 Summer Olympics. The contemporary impetus for building an enclosed sports venue in Toronto came following the Grey Cup game in November 1982, held at the outdoor Exhibition Stadium. The game, in which the hometown Toronto Argonauts were making their first Grey Cup appearance since 1971, was played in a driving rainstorm that left most of the crowd drenched, leading the media to call it 'the Rain Bowl'. The following day, at a rally for the Argos at Toronto City Hall, tens of thousands of people who attended the game began to chant, 'We want a dome! We want a dome!' Seven months later, in June 1983, Davis formally announced a three-person committee would look into the feasibility of building a domed stadium at Exhibition Place. The committee examined various projects, including a large indoor stadium at Exhibition Place with an air-supported dome. In 1985, an international design competition was launched to design a new stadium, along with selection of a site. The final site was at the base of the CN Tower not far from Union Station. The Railway Lands were a major Canadian National Railway rail switching yard. Ultimately, the Robbie/Allen concept won because it provided the largest roof opening of all the finalists, and it was the most technically sound. The stadium was designed by architect Rod Robbie and structural engineer Michael Allen and was constructed by the EllisDon Construction company of London, Ontario and the Dominion Bridge Company of Lachine, Quebec. The stadium's construction lasted about 2+1⁄2 years, from October 1986 to May 1989. The approximate cost of construction was C$570 million ($1.25 billion in 2025 dollars) which was paid for by the federal government, Ontario provincial government, the City of Toronto, and a large consortium of corporations.

In Their Own Story

The air hummed with electricity as the roof mechanism began to whir overhead, sealing out the damp Toronto night. It was October 1992, and every seat held a breath waiting for the next pitch. A fan in the lower bowl clutched a plastic cup of beer, eyes fixed on the mound where the pitcher wound up. The lights reflected off the synthetic turf, bright as day despite the darkness outside. When the final out was recorded, the cheer wasn't just noise; it was a declaration that Canada had arrived at the pinnacle of professional baseball.

Reader's Guide

The stadium was funded by a public–private partnership, with the government paying the largest percentage of the cost. The initial cost of $150 million was greatly underestimated, as the final cost was C$570 million ($1.25 billion in 2025 dollars). Two levels of government (Metro Toronto and provincial) each initially contributed $30 million ($65.9 million in 2025 dollars). This does not include the value of the land that the stadium sits on, which was owned by the Canada Lands Company (a Crown corporation of Canada) and the City of Toronto and was leased for $900,000 a year through 2088. Canada's three main breweries (Labatt's, Molson, and Carling O'Keefe) and the Toronto Blue Jays each paid $5 million ($11 million in 2025 dollars) to help fund the stadium. An additional 26 other Canadian corporations (selected by invitation only) also contributed $5 million, for which they received one of the 161 Skyboxes with four parking spaces (for ten years, with an opportunity for renewal) and a 99-year exclusive option on stadium advertising. The initial cost of leasing a Skybox ranged from $150,000 to $225,000 ($329,278 to $493,917 in 2025 dollars) a year in 1989 – plus the cost of tickets for all events. The then unusual financing structure created controversy. First of all, there was no public tender for supplies and equipment. Secondly, companies that paid the $5 million fee, such as Coca-Cola, TSN and CIBC, received 100 percent stadium exclusivity, including advertising rights, for the life of their contract that could be extended up to 99 years. Third, the contracts were not put up for bid, meaning there was some doubt the contracts were made at a market rate: Pepsi stated at the time that had it known the terms of the contract it would have paid far more than $5 million for the rights. Local media like NOW Magazine called the amount charged to the companies 'scandalously low'.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was the first in the world to have a fully retractable motorized roof.
• A 348-room hotel is attached to the stadium, with 70 rooms overlooking the field.
• The stadium is the last North American major-league stadium built to accommodate both football and baseball.
• The roof consists of four panels, one fixed and three movable, and takes 20 minutes to open.
• Construction unearthed over 1,500 artifacts, including a 200-year-old French cannon.