Rogers Centre Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary

It may not be quite the wonder of the world it once was, but Rogers Centre – the only stadium with this kind of retractable roof – celebrates its 20th anniversary on Wednesday.

It’s almost impossible to believe it’s been two decades since Paul Molitor hit the first single on the artificial turf that was once called SkyDome. It was a far cry from the old relic of Exhibition Stadium that even outdoor purists would admit wasn’t the greatest place to watch a baseball game – especially in April or October.

At its inauguration, the Dome had just about everything – great seating, a restaurant that allowed patrons to watch the on-field action as they ate and even an attached hotel where guests making whoopee during some games gave a whole new meaning to getting to first base. 

It was expensive and ahead of its time and remains one of the enduring symbols of Toronto’s skyline, still seen on postcards and tourist shots, along with the CN Tower and City Hall. 

“We were at the forefront,” agrees Paul Beeston, interim CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays and the club’s president at the time.

Some have criticized the stadium now as being old hat – almost impossible to imagine given the technology that surrounds it. But the grand old game has taken a new turn, with outdoor baseball-only stadiums like Camden Yards in Baltimore seen as the new trend.

Former Jays president Paul Godfrey, who helped make it a reality, admits Rogers Centre may not be the latest, but it’s still the greatest. Just ask any fan who comes in the howling days of early spring. “If you were doing it now would you do it differently? Sure. But it’s just like houses. The houses they build now are a lot different from the ones they built 20 years ago.”

Things have changed since that June 3rd day when the roof was first opened – and closed – in front of thousands. It rained that afternoon, when the vaunted equipment didn’t quite work the way it was supposed to.

But most agreed it was an incredible place with an incredible price tag – the initial $125 million ballooned to a staggering $580 million, with money and land coming from the city, the province and the feds.

The Jumbotron, then the world biggest TV set, has given way to the Videoboard, which measures an impressive 110′ X 33′ and is still one of the biggest screens in the world.

Former – and now current – manager Cito Gaston was there on that first day in 1989. “I think everybody was amazed by the roof, fans, players,” he recalls. “Our clubhouse was so modern, and it was different, too. To have a dome with a hotel inside it, we were way ahead of our time.

“The facilities here, I’ve always loved them.”

He also loved the years 1992 and 1993, when the Jays won back-to-back World Series, with the latter coming under the dome on the heels of Joe Carter’s game winning home run. 

Scott Richmond now plays for the Jays and remembers growing up in Vancouver with dreams of one day being there. “I was nine when it opened and couldn’t wait to see it on TV. I remember watching the glory years. But when you’re watching on TV, you don’t see the whole crowd unless the camera pans to it, you don’t feel the energy.

“When the fans come out to support us, it’s just one of the best places to play.”

And while some critics contend it’s been left behind, Beeston begs to differ. “I’ve read too much about this being a bad place, it’s got no personality, it’s just a mass of concrete,” he muses. “Fact of the matter is it’s in downtown Toronto, the roof works 20 years later and you can visualize 20 years more here.

“Is it Camden Yards or PNC Park? No. Does it have the history of Fenway Park or Wrigley Field? No. But it’s ours, the roof works, we start our games at 7:07 or 1:07 and we play every day we’re supposed to play.”

The 50 million fans who’ve come and gone – and come back – would agree. And they’re not just Blue Jay watchers. Rogers Centre is home to the Argos, the Buffalo Bills, and countless concerts and shows, including the annual Spring Fling, which gives kids a CNE-like atmosphere every March Break and the Auto Show, which is so large, it’s divided with the Metro Convention Centre – which isn’t that long a drive.

The name SkyDome was chosen from a contest, with the winning fan receiving a free pass to the stadium. It was purchased by Rogers Communications in 2004 and, with branding a huge factor in the business world, renamed Rogers Centre. But to many, it still remains the SkyDome.

“Up until that point, we were one of the first of the new stadiums,” concludes Beeston. “The bottom line of it? It still, still works. I have nothing but pride for what [architect] Rod Robbie’s been able to do.

“Twenty years later, you sit back and in a lot of ways, maybe it needs a little bit of freshening up – that’s all that it needs. It still works, it’s still good for the city.”

And even its direst critic might agree that on the worst of winter-like days, it’s good to have a roof over your head.

Photo credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images

Rogers Centre Roof Records

• The world’s first fully retractable roof opens or closes in 20 minutes
• The roof rises to a height of 86 meters (282 feet), high enough for a 31 storey building at centre field with the roof closed.
• It’s made up of 4 sections which open in a smooth, circular motion
• The north panel remains stationary while the other three panels retract
• The roof covers 8 acres (3.2 hectares) and weighs 11,000 tonnes

Rogers Centre – What You Never Knew

• In 1992, Rogers Centre set the World Record for the greatest number of Hot Air Balloons in an enclosed area – 46 inflated Hot Air Balloons on the field.
• If one were to line-up all the hot dogs served at Rogers Centre in one year, the hot dogs would cover the distance of 3,241 stolen bases.
• It would take 1,56 billion litres of milk to completely fill Rogers Centre.
• Aside from being home to the Jays and the Argos, Rogers Centre also boasts the largest electric guitar in North America. It can be seen at the Hard Rock Cafe.
• Eight 747 planes or 743 Indian Elephants or 516 African Elephants can comfortably fit on the Rogers Centre field when set in baseball mode.
• A 31-storey office building can fit inside Rogers Centre when the roof is closed.

Rogers Centre Memorable Dates

• October 3, 1986 – Official ground breaking.
• June 3, 1989 – Stadium officially opens.
• June 5, 1989 – Stadium hosts to its first Blue Jays game. Fred McGriff hits first home run in the building.
• June 7, 1989 – John Cerutti records the first Blue Jays win at SkyDome.
• June 8, 1989 – Rod Stewart performs the first concert at SkyDome.
• 1990 – MLB season attendance record is broken with 58 sellouts and a total crowd of 3,885,284.
• July 9, 1991 – Host of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
• October 23, 1993 – The Blue Jays win their second straight World Series championship after Joe Carter hits a walk off
  home run.
• June 22, 1995  Two acoustic panels fall off the inner ceiling in the 7th inning injuring 7 fans.
• November, 1998 – SkyDome files for bankruptcy protection.
• August 3, 2001 – Roof is closed in the 3rd inning of a Toronto Blue Jays game, at the request of home plate umpire Tim Welke due to a major infestation of aphids.
• March 17, 2002 – WrestleMania X8 sets Skydome attendance record of 68,237.
• February 2, 2005 – Rogers Communications buys the Stadium and renames it Rogers Centre.
• November 25, 2007 – Rogers Centre plays host to the 95th Grey Cup, the first in Toronto in 15 years. The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19.
• August 14, 2008 – Rogers Centre plays host to a pre-season National Football League game between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, the first of a 5 year lease deal that will see the Bills playing occasional home games in Toronto.

Facts courtesy: Rogers Centre