Toronto’s Rogers Centre turns 25 years old Tuesday, celebrating a major milestone as a fixture of the city’s skyline and the site of some of its most memorable sporting events or concerts.
Originally known as SkyDome, the stadium was the first to have a fully retractable roof when the likes of jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, actors Alan Thicke and Andrea Martin, and rockers Glass Tiger performed at a televised opening ceremony June 3, 1989.
On that rainy night, the roof opened and most of the crowd got soaked.
Two days later, the Blue Jays played their first regular season game as the stadium’s main tenant, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in front of 48,000 people.
The domed facility opened two months behind schedule after it took almost two and a half years to construct on old railway land at the base of the CN Tower.
Still home to the Blue Jays and Argonauts, the multi-purpose facility has hosted countless events – from the CFL’s Grey Cup and monster truck shows to massive concerts and a speech by freedom fighter Nelson Mandela – with more than 60 million visitors. Next year, it will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the Pan Am Games.
To mark its 25th anniversary, the Blue Jays are holding a celebration when they host the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night. Former players Jimmy Key and Ernie Whitt, Glass Tiger lead singer Alan Frew and Domer, SkyDome’s first mascot, will be on hand.
For many, the dome’s most memorable moment occurred Oct. 23, 1993, when Joe Carter’s walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the Blue Jays’ second consecutive World Series title and its lone championship on home turf. The team hasn’t qualified for the post-season since then.
The all-weather stadium has a capacity of 55,000 depending on the event, but it has hosted larger crowds. In March 2002, it welcomed its largest crowd ever, with an announced attendance of 68,237 for WrestleMania X8.
The venue has seen its share of controversy and financial turmoil over the years.
It was plagued by cost overruns during construction, with the initial budget of $125 million ballooning to $580 million. The building was financed with $30 million from the municipal, provincial and federal governments, which also contributed $40 million in land and other benefits. Thirty corporations kicked in $5 million each for exclusive marketing rights.
SkyDome was operated by a Crown corporation and its mounting debt turned it into a political hot potato.
In 1994, the provincial government sold the building for $151 million to private owners after paying off the debt.
After the stadium filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998, it was sold in 1999 for $80 million and again in 2004, when it was purchased by Rogers Communications for just $25 million.
In addition to a retractable roof that opens and closes in 20 minutes, the stadium is famous for an attached hotel that has rooms overlooking the playing field.
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