Last year, reports surfaced online about plans to demolish Toronto's Rogers Centre — f.k.a. the SkyDome — in favour of condos, offices, and retail and public spaces, to the dismay of sports fans and music lovers alike. All that fussing appears to have amounted to some resolutions on the matter, as those plans have now been shelved, according to industry sources.
Venues Now reports that the CN Tower-neighbouring area will instead undergo $250 million worth of upgrades — not demolition — by PCI Construction Group and leading architect firm Populous, though a timeline for the upgrades has yet to be revealed. To put that price tag in perspective, the original cost to build the SkyDome was about $600 million. So if these upgrades come to fruition, we're likely due for some swanky new features.
"If they knock [Rogers Centre] down, it would take four to five years to rebuild," a source said of the original plans. "I'm sure they looked at all the options."
While the home of the Toronto Blue Jays and many a major touring artist would have made room for a new stadium had it gone with the demo option, the Globe and Mail reported in 2020, chief communications officer Sevaun Palvetzian gave no confirmation of the plans at the time.
The massive stadium with its retractable roof was the first of its kind when it was built in 1989. It spent its first 15 years under the arguably cooler SkyDome moniker, before it was rebranded in 2004 under new ownership by Rogers.
Venues Now reports that the CN Tower-neighbouring area will instead undergo $250 million worth of upgrades — not demolition — by PCI Construction Group and leading architect firm Populous, though a timeline for the upgrades has yet to be revealed. To put that price tag in perspective, the original cost to build the SkyDome was about $600 million. So if these upgrades come to fruition, we're likely due for some swanky new features.
"If they knock [Rogers Centre] down, it would take four to five years to rebuild," a source said of the original plans. "I'm sure they looked at all the options."
While the home of the Toronto Blue Jays and many a major touring artist would have made room for a new stadium had it gone with the demo option, the Globe and Mail reported in 2020, chief communications officer Sevaun Palvetzian gave no confirmation of the plans at the time.
The massive stadium with its retractable roof was the first of its kind when it was built in 1989. It spent its first 15 years under the arguably cooler SkyDome moniker, before it was rebranded in 2004 under new ownership by Rogers.
