Exhibition Stadium
| Exhibition Stadium | |
|---|---|
|
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| Data | |
| place | Toronto , Canada |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 37 '55 " N , 79 ° 25' 4" W |
| owner | City of Toronto |
| start of building | 1948 |
| opening | 1959 |
| demolition | January 31, 1999 |
| surface | Turf (1959–1975), AstroTurf (1976–1989) |
| costs | 17.6 million Canadian dollars |
| capacity | 33,150–54,000 depending on use |
| playing area | Left Field Line - 330 ft (101 m) Left-Center Power Alley - 375 ft (114 m) Center Field - 400 ft (122 m) Right Field Line - 330 ft (101 m) Backstop - 60 ft (18 m) |
| Societies) | |
|
Toronto Blue Jays ( MLB ) (1977–1989) |
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| Events | |
|
Vanier Cup ( CIS ) (1973-1975) |
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Exhibition Stadium (officially: Canadian National Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium ) was a multi-purpose sports stadium that was located on the grounds of Exhibition Place in Toronto . It was originally designed as a sports facility for Canadian football games , the Canadian National Exhibition and other events. The stadium was also the home of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team from 1977 to 1989 and the Toronto Argonauts from 1959 to 1988 . The Gray Cup was held a total of twelve times in the Exhibition Stadium over a period of 24 years.
The stadium is the fourth to have been built on this site since 1879. In 1948 a roof was added on the north side and in 1959 it was converted into a football stadium. A year earlier, the stadium was used as a NASCAR race track . At that time, the stadium had a maximum capacity of 33,150 seats. In the mid-1970s, it was expanded and rebuilt one more time, as the Toronto Blue Jays chose Exhibition Stadium as their home stadium in 1977.
In the 1970s and 1980s, however, the vulnerability of the stadium construction to weather caused increasing problems, so that the construction of a new, roofed stadium was considered, which ultimately led to the construction of the Rogers Center . After it was shut down on May 28, 1989, it was completely demolished on January 31, 1999. The area was used as a parking lot until 2006, when the BMO Field football stadium was built , which opened in 2007.
