Rogers Centre

Did You Know?

• The stadium roof was patented under U.S. Patent #4676033, filed May 1, 1986, and published June 30, 1987; the patent expired in 2006.
• The original mascot was a turtle named Domer, who returned on June 6, 2014, for the 25th anniversary.
• When the roof is open, 91 percent of seats and 100 percent of the field are exposed to the sky, covering 3.2 hectares.

History

The concept of a domed stadium in Toronto originated with a bid for the 1976 Summer Olympics, which proposed an 80,000–100,000 seat complex on the site of Maple Leaf Stadium. The immediate push for an enclosed venue came after the 1982 Grey Cup at Exhibition Stadium, where a driving rainstorm drenched the crowd and caused washroom overflows. Premier Bill Davis attended the game, and over 7.862 million television viewers saw the poor conditions. The next day, thousands at a Toronto City Hall rally chanted for a dome. In June 1983, Davis announced a three-person committee—Paul Godfrey, Larry Grossman, and Hugh Macaulay—to study feasibility. The committee examined options including an air-supported dome at Exhibition Place. An international design competition launched in 1985, with proposed sites including Exhibition Place, Downsview Airport, and York University. The final site chosen was at the base of the CN Tower near Union Station, on the Railway Lands, a former Canadian National Railway switching yard. The Robbie/Allen concept won because it offered the largest roof opening and was the most technically sound.

Stadium features

The venue was the first in North America with a fully retractable motorized roof; Montreal's Olympic Stadium had a retractable roof but replaced it with a fixed roof due to operational issues. The roof consists of four panels covering 345,000 square feet. Two middle panels slide laterally over the fixed north panel, and the south panel rotates and nests inside. Opening or closing takes 20 minutes, but the mechanism cannot operate in cold weather. The original AstroTurf was replaced with FieldTurf from 2005 to 2010, which required 40 hours to remove using 1,400 trays. Before the 2010 baseball season, a roll-based AstroTurf with sand and rubber infill was installed. Rogers Centre is one of five MLB venues using artificial turf and was the last to use sliding pits before switching to a full dirt infield for 2016. The pitcher's mound could be raised or lowered hydraulically for football conversions before the Argonauts left.

Stadium usage

The Blue Jays have hosted three World Series at the stadium: Games 3, 4, and 5 of the 1992 World Series, Games 1, 2, and 6 of the 1993 World Series, and Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the 2025 World Series, winning in 1992 and 1993. The 1991 MLB All-Star Game was held here. Game 3 of the 1992 World Series was the first championship game played outside the United States. The 1991 American League Championship Series was the first MLB playoff series entirely indoors. The stadium hosted first-round games of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The Toronto Raptors played at the venue from November 1995 to February 1999 while their permanent arena was built; seating capacity was 22,900 for most games, but could expand to 29,000 or more for popular opponents. The Argonauts played Canadian football here from 1989 to 2015, moving to BMO Field in 2016. The 95th Grey Cup was held in November 2007, the third at the stadium. From 1989 to 2003, the Vanier Cup was hosted here. In 1994, part-owner Labatt considered purchasing an NFL and an MLS team to play at the stadium.

Timeline

Ground was broken on October 3, 1986. The stadium was officially named SkyDome on June 3, 1987. A dress rehearsal for the opening ceremony occurred on June 2, 1989, and the first unofficial wave was performed. SkyDome officially opened on June 3, 1989, with a live gala. The first Blue Jays game was on June 5, 1989, a 5–3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers; Fred McGriff hit the first home run. John Cerutti recorded the first Blue Jays win on June 7, 1989, beating the Brewers 4–2. Rod Stewart performed the first concert on June 8, 1989. The first Argonauts game was on July 12, 1989, a 24–15 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The first doubleheader on July 17, 1989, saw the Jays win both games. On October 7, 1989, Jose Canseco hit a home run estimated at 480 feet into the fifth deck. The 77th Grey Cup was held November 26, 1989. WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990, set an attendance record of 67,678. The MLB single-season attendance record was broken in 1990 with 58 sellouts and 3,885,284 total. The 1991 All-Star Game was on July 9. The 80th Grey Cup was in 1992. On October 23, 1993, Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run to win the World Series. On June 22, 1995, acoustic panels fell, injuring seven fans. A worker died on July 9, 1995, falling 25 feet while installing lights. In November 1998, dignitaries including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien honoured Nelson Mandela. SkyDome filed for bankruptcy in November 1998 and was purchased by Sportsco.