Rogers Centre
Ontario, Canada

An architectural marvel, the Rogers Centre was the first stadium of its kind when it opened in 1989. It was the first stadium with a retractable roof allowing any sport to be played indoors or outdoors, rain or shine. The idea to build a new stadium in the Toronto area began in 1923, but it was 63 years later that construction actually started on a stadium. In the early 1970s Toronto began trying to lure a major league baseball team. They first tried to lure the San Francisco Giants to the city and then sought to get MLB to expand to Toronto. Finally, in 1976 the city was awarded a major league franchise. The team, named the Toronto Blue Jays began playing in 1977. However, the city still did not have a new stadium for the team to play at. The Blue Jays played at Exhibition Stadium (primary a football stadium, but retrofitted to house baseball) for 12 seasons before moving into a new stadium.

In 1983 sites for a new domed stadium were proposed. A site west of the CN Tower in downtown Toronto was chosen. Ground breaking ceremonies for the domed stadium were held on October 3, 1986. The new stadium would be more than just a dome, it would have a retractable roof and would be home to baseball, football, and many other events. Naming the stadium was a way  fans got to participate. Over 12,879 fans submitted a large variety of suggestions to name the stadium including names such as Alfresco Stadium, Railway Place and the Zipper Dome. The name chosen for the stadium was announced on May 11, 1987, SkyDome. For more than 15 years the stadium was known as SkyDome before being renamed. In February 2005, Rogers Communications bought the stadium for $25 million and renamed SkyDome, Rogers Centre.

Opening ceremonies at Rogers Centre took place on June 3, 1989. Over 60,000 people watched the dome open for the first time. Two days later the Blue Jays made their debut at the Rogers Centre on June 5, 1989 when 51,000 fans filled the stadium. The retractable roof is built of four independent panels. When the roof opens three of the four panels, two barrel shaped and one quarter dome, maneuver where they stack over the fourth panel at the north end of the stadium. Weighing over 21 million pounds, it takes 20 minutes for the roof to open or close. The Rogers Centre has five levels of seats that extend from right centerfield to homeplate and to left centerfield. All of the lower level seats are moveable and can form a football configuration.

The Rogers Centre has many other unique features other than its retractable roof. The Rogers Centre Hotel is part of the stadium. It has 350 rooms, 70 which overlook the playing field. Beyond centerfield is the Hard Rock Café that also overlooks the playing field. Also in centerfield is a 110 ft. wide by  33 ft. high JumboTRON video board. The pitchers mound is raised and lowered hydraulically, when the field is not in the baseball mode. After the 2004 season, the Astroturf was removed and replaced with Fieldturf. In addition a new main video/scoreboard was installed along with the addition of video/scoreboards as part of the outfield fence.  Since the its opening in 1989 the Blue Jays have set attendance records by drawing 4 million fans a year during the early 1990’s. The Blue Jays have also had success at the Rogers Centre, winning the 1992 and 1993 World Series. The stadium is also the home of the Toronto Argonaughts (CFL) and was the home of the Toronto Raptors (NBA) from 1995 until 1999.