Rogers Center
Originally known as The Skydome, Rogers Center is a stadium located in Toronto, Canada. This particular stadium is actually in the city's downtown area, just a little ways from the icons CN Tower, a broadcast tower that still stands as one of the most iconic and recognizable buildings in the city. The stadium's vicinity is a beautiful recreational area, with a nice promenade area that faces the shores of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes of North America!
This stadium is more than just a sporting event. It features a huge number of matching facilities, including offices, shops, restaurants, and so much more.
The Rogers Center opened in 1989 on an area that was formerly known as Railway Lands. This particular stadium is now home to the Toronto Blue Jays, the local MLB team. However, it was also home to the Canadian Football League team "Toronto Argonauts." In addition to that, this multi-purpose facility also catered to basketball and NFL, being home to the Toronto Raptors and the Buffalo Bills. The name "Rogers Centre" came to be utilized starting from 2005. The facility was sold to Rogers Communications, which also happens to be the owner of the Blue Jays. This is actually the first stadium with a fully retractable motorized roof, a unique feature that other stadiums across North America later emulated in the following years. This unique domed design has roots that date back to the late 60s, as early concepts for the facility date back to 1968. Due to the cold weather that the city has to endure for most of the year, it was quite important to develop an indoor environment, but wanting the option to remove the roof, the idea for a motorized roof because of an enticing concept, which eventually turned into one of the most remarkable features of this innovative multi-purpose stadiums. The designer, Rod Robbie, teamed up with engineer Michael Allen and construction company EllisDon and the Dominion Bridge Company to assist with the huge amount of work to be done.
Being a downtown venue, the stadium hosts a huge variety of side events. From concerts and trade fairs to carnivals, parades, circus shows, and conventions, anything goes. The stadium has even hosted monster truck shows, highlighting the versatility of this amazing space.
Although the stadium's acoustics is deemed quite poor due to the nature of its design, many performers had the opportunity to organize events here. These include Bruce Springsteen and U2, The Rolling Stones, and Bon Jovi, only to mention but a few.
The Rogers Centre also houses the actual head offices of several businesses, including the headquarters of the Blue Jays, as well as the main offices of Ticketmaster Canada, and a plethora of other businesses. If this wasn't enough versatility, the stadium is also home to the Renaissance Hotel and a store, and formerly, a Hard Rock Cafè Location, which has since moved to John Street Terrace. To this day, this facility stands out as one of the most iconic buildings in the city of Toronto, along with the CN Tower and one of the most recognizable multi-purpose stadiums in the world today. If you happen to visit the capital of Ontario, you should not miss out on experiencing this venue, if even to take a stroll by the beautiful Lake Ontario, which you can see from the building's front entrance. There are many other amazing attractions in close proximity, including the local aquarium.