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EXHIBITION STADIUM
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TORONTO, ON
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Home of the Toronto Blue Jays for twelve
years, the team was ready to move out of Exhibition Stadium in 1989
when SkyDome (Rogers Centre) opened. In hope of landing a MLB team, talks of
expanding Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Stadium began in the
late 1950s. Two proposals were defeated and a new plan arose to
build a dome stadium in 1965 but this plan
dragged on for years. Hopes of getting a MLB team intensified
again in 1974 when a $15 million bond was approved to enlarge CNE
Stadium. The stadium was enlarged to a capacity of 40,000 for
baseball and 55,000 for football. Initially in 1976, officials in
Toronto thought the San Francisco Giants were going to move to the
area, but this never happened. In 1977, after years
of trying to get a team, MLB awarded
Toronto an expansion franchise.
The Toronto Blue Jays made their debut at the
stadium on April 7, 1977. Over 44,000 fans filled the stadium.
Exhibition Stadium originally had been used primarily for
football. When the stadium opened for baseball it still looked
mainly like a football stadium. The original grandstand was
constructed on the north side of the stadium in 1948 and had a
capacity of 20,000. This section of seating formed the nucleus of
the facility. The original north grandstand was revamped, the south
stands were replaced and a new section of seats were added between
the north and south stands to create a baseball field prior to the
start of the 1977 season. A stadium club and VIP boxes were also
constructed. The main covered grandstand became part of
the left field. A 12 foot fence formed the outfield wall that
began at the left field foul pole and then curved across the AstroTurf field at the 40 yard line. A large
open area was
behind the right field fence. The scoreboard was located on the far
end past the right field fence. Even though the Blue Jays were not
a very good team, they drew over 1.7 million fans during the 1977
season. After over thirty years of talk of building a dome stadium
in Toronto, a site was chosen and construction began on a
retractable roof dome stadium in 1986. The Blue Jays played their
last game at Exhibition Stadium on May 28, 1989. They moved into
their new home,
Rogers
Centre on June 5, 1989. Exhibition Stadium remained standing
until 1999 when it was demolished.
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-Tenants:
Toronto Blue Jays (MLB), Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
-Capacity:
44,649
-Surface:
Astroturf
-Cost: $2
Million, $17.8 Million (renovations/additions) |
-Opened:
April 7, 1977 (MLB)
-Closed: May 28, 1989 (MLB)
-Demolished:
1999
-Dimensions:
330-L, 410-C, 330-R (original and final)
-Architect:
Unknown |
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All Star Game: 1960
No hitter by Indians' Don
Black on July 10, 1947.
Bert Campanaris becomes the first
player to play at ever position during one game on September 8,
1965. |
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