Rogers Centre Rogers Centre ( formerly known as SkyDome ) is a multi - purpose stadium , in Downtown Toronto , Ontario , Canada , situated next to the CN Tower , near the shores of Lake Ontario . Opened in 1989 , it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League . From 2008 – 2012 , the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League are scheduled to play at the stadium for eight games ( five regular - season and three pre - season ) as part of the Bills Toronto Series . While it is primarily a sports venue , it also hosts other large - scale events such as conventions , trade fair s , concert s , funfair s , and monster truck shows . The stadium was renamed " Rogers Centre " following the purchase of the stadium by Rogers Communications , which also bought the Toronto Blue Jays , in 2005 . The venue was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully retractable motorized roof , as well as for the 348 - room hotel attached to it , with 70 rooms overlooking the field . It is also the most recent North America n major - league stadium built to accommodate both football and baseball . The stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2015 Pan American Games as the site of the opening and closing ceremonies . History . The SkyDome , called the Rogers Centre since 2005 , was designed by architect Rod Robbie and structural engineer Michael Allen and was constructed by the EllisDon Construction company of London , Ontario and the Dominion Bridge Company of Lachine , Quebec . The stadium ' s construction lasted about two and a half years , from October 1986 to May 1989 . The approximate cost of construction was C $ 570 million ( $ in 2018 dollars ) which was paid for by the federal government , Ontario provincial government , the City of Toronto , and a large consortium of corporations . Background . The idea for building an enclosed sports venue came following the Grey Cup game in November 1982 , held at the outdoor Exhibition Stadium . The game was plagued by terrible weather that affected the patrons , who were viewing from stands that were not sheltered . Thousands spent most of the game in the concession section of the stadium , the crowd was drenched , and the washrooms were overflowing , which was on the whole a bad experience for the fans . In attendance that day was then - Ontario Premier Bill Davis , and the poor conditions were seen by over 7 , 862 , 000 television viewers in Canada ( at the time the largest TV audience ever in Canada ) . The following day , at a rally at Toronto City Hall , tens of thousands of people who were there to see the Toronto Argonauts began to chant , " We want a dome ! We want a dome ! " So too did others who began to discuss the possibility of an all - purpose , all - weather stadium . Seven months later , in June 1983 , Premier Davis formally announced that a three - person committee would look into the feasibility of building a domed stadium at Exhibition Place . The committee consisted of Paul Godfrey , Larry Grossman and former Ontario Hydro chairman Hugh Macaulay . Over the next few years various tangible projects emerged , including a large indoor stadium at Exhibition Place with an air - supported dome , similar to BC Place in Vancouver . In 1985 , an international design competition was launched to design a new stadium , along with selection of a site for the stadium . Some of the proposed sites included Exhibition Place , Downsview Airport , and York University . The final site was located at the base of the CN Tower not far from Union Station , a major railway and transit hub . The land was a major Canadian National Railway rail switching yard encompassing the CNR Spadina Roundhouse ( the desolate downtown lands were part of a master plan for revitalizing the area which includes CityPlace ) . The price would be $ 150 million . Ultimately the Robbie / Allen concept won because it provided the largest roof opening of all the finalists , and it was the most technically sound . Stadium construction . Construction was done by lead contractor EllisDon . Several factors complicated the construction : The lands housed a functioning water pumping station that needed to be relocated , the soil was contaminated from a century of industrial use , railway buildings needed to be torn down or moved , and the site was rich with archaeological finds . One of the most complex issues was moving the John St . pumping station across the street to its new home south of the stadium . Foundations to the stadium were being poured even as the facility ( located in the infield area ) continued to function , as construction on its new location had yet to be completed . Because the stadium was the first of its kind in the world , the architects and engineers kept the design simple ( by using a sturdy dome shape ) and used proven technologies to move the roof . It was important that the design would work and be reliable as to avoid the various problems that plagued Montreal ' s Olympic Stadium . The 31 - storey high roof consists of four panels ; one ( on the North end ) is fixed in place and the other three are moved by electrically driven ' train ' engines , that run on high strength railway rails . The roof , which takes 20 minutes to open , was made out of steel trusses covered by corrugated steel cladding , which in turn is covered by a single - ply PVC membrane . Stadium financing . The stadium was funded by a public / private partnership , with the government paying the largest percentage of the tab . The initial cost was greatly underestimated , with the final tab coming in at C $ 570 million ( $ in 2018 dollars ) . All three levels of government ( Metro Toronto , Provincial , Federal ) initially contributed $ 30 million ( $ in 2018 dollars ) . This does not include the actual value of the land the stadium sits on ( as it was part of a deal with the Crown agency – CN Rail ) . Canada ' s three main breweries ( Labatt ' s , Molsons , and Carling O ' Keefe ) each paid $ 5 million ( $ in 2018 dollars ) to help fund the stadium . In addition 28 Canadian corporations ( selected by invitation only – no tendering of contract ) also contributed $ 5 million , for which they received one of the 161 Skyboxes with four parking spaces ( for ten years , with an opportunity for renewal ) and a 99 year exclusive option on stadium advertising . Skyboxes initially leased for $ 150 , 000 up to $ 225 , 000 ( $ to $ in 2018 dollars ) a year in 1989 – plus the cost of tickets for all events . But the financing was not without controversy . First of all there was no public tender for supplies and equipment . Secondly , companies that paid the $ 5 million fee received 100 % stadium exclusivity for the life of their contract that could be extended up to 99 years . Some of the companies that signed on included Coca - Cola , TSN and CIBC . This exclusivity even extended to advertising . This was most notable when Pepsi - Cola was banned from raising promotional banners during a Madonna concert performance . Many companies signed on without the contracts being bid on . Pepsi stated at the time that had they known the terms of the contract they would have paid far more than $ 5 million for the rights . Local media like NOW Magazine called the amount charged " scandalously low " ( Now Dec 3 - 9 , 1998 ) . In a CBC Television interview in the days before the stadium , a member of the general public goes on to ponder " It will be interesting to see five years from now whose stadium it will be , Toronto ' s dome or a business centre like TD Centre " . The stadium was completed two months late , having been planned to open for the first regular season Toronto Blue Jays game . Because of its location south of major railway corridor , new pedestrian connections had to be built ; the infrastructure was part of the reason for the high cost of the stadium . Skywalk is a ( 1 / 2 km – est . ) enclosed walkway that leads from the base of the CN Tower and via a bridge connects to Union Station ( and is part of the PATH network ) . The John St . bridge was built to provide North / South passage over the rail tracks linking Front Street with the stadium . SkyDome opening . The stadium officially opened on June 3 , 1989 and hosted an official grand opening show : " The Opening of SkyDome : A Celebration " . It was broadcast on CBC television the following evening hosted by Brian Williams . With a crowd of over 50 , 000 in attendance , it was the first test of the new facility . The event was a showcase of Canadian talent , and included performances from a wide variety of acts . The celebrities consisted of Alan Thicke , Oscar Peterson , Andrea Martin of " SCTV " , impersonator André - Philippe Gagnon and rock band Glass Tiger . The roof was opened by the Premier of the Province , David Peterson , who pointed a laser pen at the ceiling to officially ' open ' it . The roof opened , exposing the crowd to a downpour of rain . This while a crowd of famous Canadians sang a song on stage that was written specifically for the opening , with the lyrics : " " Open up , Open up the Dome " " . Yet as the crowd got increasingly wet , they could be heard chanting " " Close the roof " " . But Stadco president Chuck Magwood insisted that the roof fully open . And once open , a group of civilian skydivers flew into the now soaked stadium often skidding across the concrete floor to the cheers of the audience . By the time the roof had opened , most of the crowd had sought refuge in the concourse areas and beneath the overhangs of the various parts of the structure . The event was broken down into the following acts : The Opening of SkyDome – A Celebration Financial problems and fallout . The stadium would later become a thorn in the side of David Peterson ' s Ontario Liberal government for its overspending in the venture . The Ontario Liberal Party was defeated by the Ontario New Democratic Party in the 1990 Ontario election . A review by the new Bob Rae government in October 1990 revealed that the stadium was so in debt that it would have to be booked 600 days a year to turn a profit . The stadium had only made $ 17 million in its first year of operations , while servicing the debt was costing $ 40 million . It was determined that the abrupt late inclusion by Stadco of a luxurious hotel and health club added an additional $ 112 million to the cost of the building . As the Province slipped into a recession , Bob Rae appointed University of Toronto professor Bruce Kidd and Bob White ( then president of the Canadian Auto Workers ) to the Stadco board to help deal with the stadium ' s growing debt . But by this time it was too late to reverse the costs . The completed stadium started life with a $ 165 million debt that ballooned to $ 400 million by 1993 . The stadium became a huge liability to the Provincial Government , and as the economy soured , so did public support for the so - called " white elephant " . In March 1994 , Bob Rae ' s Ontario NDP government paid off all outstanding debts from the Provincial treasury , and sold the stadium for the massively discounted price of $ 151 million to a private consortium ( including Labatt ' s parent company – Interbrew ) . In November 1998 , the stadium filed for bankruptcy protection . One of the main reasons was that most of the Skybox contracts were up for renewal . Most of the 161 Skybox tenants had signed on for 10 year leases ; this oversight in business planning , and a marked decrease in interest in the stadium ' s two sports teams , resulted in a massive decrease in the amount companies were willing to pay for the Skybox . In addition , the Air Canada Centre was under construction just down the road , and selling highly desired boxes for the civic favourite Toronto Maple Leafs and new upstart Toronto Raptors , who originally played in the SkyDome since their establishment in 1995 . Many companies could not justify owning box suites at both stadiums . That same month , the Blue Jays re - signed on for an additional ten years in the facility . In late 1998 , Sportsco International LP bought the stadium out of bankruptcy protection for $ 85 million . Purchase and renaming . In 2004 , Rogers Communications , parent company of the Blue Jays , acquired SkyDome from Sportsco for about $ 25 million – about 4 % of the cost of construction . On February 2 , 2005 , Ted Rogers , President and CEO of Rogers Communications , announced that his company would significantly increase the team payroll upwards of $ 210 million over the next three seasons , beginning in the 2005 season , and announced a three - year corporate contract to change the name of SkyDome to the Rogers Centre . After the purchase Rogers refurbished the stadium by , among other things , replacing the once state - of - the - art Jumbotron with a Daktronics ProStar screen , and erecting other new monitors , including several built into the outfield wall . They also installed a new artificial playing surface called FieldTurf . ( The Blue Jays were thus the last MLB team to play on AstroTurf ; their home venue has since returned to a newer version of AstroTurf that uses sand and rubber - based infill within its fibres . ) In May 2005 , the Toronto Argonauts agreed to three five - year leases at Rogers Centre , which could see the Argonauts playing out of Rogers Centre up to and including 2019 . The team has the option to leave at the end of each of the three lease agreements . The Argos also announced that they will not move into a new stadium that was being planned at York University , a project which York subsequently cancelled . In November 2005 , Rogers Centre received a complete makeover in the 100 Level concourse , making it larger . This required some seats to be removed , which lowered its capacity size . They also renovated 43 luxury boxes and converted some of them into larger party suites that can accommodate as many as 150 people . The Blue Jays had planned for renovations in the winter of 2006 to the Blue Jays ' clubhouse and weight room , and possibly the visitors ' clubhouse ; president Paul Godfrey also mentioned a potential long term project to add a façade to the exterior of the stadium , as its concrete exterior has been criticized for appearing cold and imposing . In April 2006 , the Rogers Centre became one of the first buildings of its size to adopt a completely smoke - free policy in Canada . The Rogers Centre made this decision in advance of an act of provincial legislature that required all Ontario public places to go smoke - free by June 1 , 2006 . Designated smoking rooms , or " puffers " as they were known , will no longer be available to patrons . As a result , smokers will no longer be able to smoke during events due to the pre - existing no pass - out policy , which does not allow for readmittance to the facility after exiting . The Rogers Centre was dry on April 7 , 2009 , as the province of Ontario imposed the first of a three - day alcohol suspension at the stadium , for " infractions ( that ) took place at certain past events , " according to the press release . Etymology . The name " SkyDome " was coined by Kellie Watson , a private citizen of the town of Wallaceburg , Ontario , who entered a province - wide " name the stadium " contest in 1987 . Sponsored by the " Toronto Sun " , ballots were offered for people to submit their suggested name . Over 150 , 000 entries were received with 12 , 897 different names . The selection committee narrowed it down to four choices : " Towerdome " , Harbourdome , SkyDome , and simply " the Dome " . The judges ' final selection was SkyDome . Over 2 , 000 people proposed SkyDome , and as a result a winning name was drawn from all the similar entries . Premier David Peterson chose a name from a lottery barrel . The selected winner won lifetime seats to any event at SkyDome ( including concerts ) . The two seats are located just behind home plate . In the press conference announcing the name , Chuck Magwood ( president of the Stadium Corporation of Ontario ) commented : " The sky is a huge part of the whole roof process . The name has a sense of the infinite and that ' s what this is all about " . Stadium features . The venue was the first major team sports arena in North America to sport a functional , fully retractable roof ( Montreal ' s Olympic Stadium also had a retractable roof , but due to operational issues , it was replaced with a permanent roof ) . The roof is composed of four panels and covers an area of . The two middle panels slide laterally to stack over the north semi - circular panel , and then the south semi - circular panel rotates around the stadium and nests inside the stack . It takes 20 minutes for the roof to open or close . Even though the retractable roof would in theory permit the use of natural grass , in practice it is not feasible since the stadium was designed as a closed structure with a roof that opens , and as such the interior was not intended or built to deal with weather . As a result , the stadium has always used artificial turf . The original AstroTurf installation was replaced with FieldTurf from 2005 to 2010 . The FieldTurf took about 40 hours to remove for events such as concerts or trade shows , as it used 1 , 400 trays that needed to be stacked and transported off the field . Prior to the 2010 baseball season , to reduce the amount of time required to convert the playing field , a new , roll - based version of AstroTurf was installed . Similar to FieldTurf , the current installation uses a sand and rubber - based infill within the synthetic fibres . The Rogers Centre is one of two remaining venues in Major League Baseball using artificial turf ( the other one is Tropicana Field in St . Petersburg , Florida ) . There are a total of 5 , 700 club seats and 161 luxury suites at Rogers Centre . The complex had a Hard Rock Café restaurant ( the restaurant closed when its lease expired at the end of 2009 ) . The Renaissance Toronto Hotel is also located within Rogers Centre , with 70 rooms overlooking the field . Over $ 5 million of artwork was commissioned in 1989 : Rogers Centre videoboard . The main video screen in the Rogers Centre is called the Rogers Centre videoboard . Designed by Daktronics , the screen is high and across . The panel is made up of modular LED units that can be replaced unit by unit , and can be repaired immediately should it be damaged during an event . Originally , this screen was a Sony JumboTron before it was replaced . There are also two ribbon boards made up of LED that run along the East and West sides of the stadium interior . They are each long by high . In addition , there are two Daktronics Profence videoboards that make up parts of the left and right outfield walls while in baseball mode . These are wide by nearly high . The videoboard and the stadium played host to several television events , including the series finales for " Cheers " and " " , along with live coverage of the funeral of Princess Diana . Stadium usage . Sports . Besides baseball and Canadian football , Rogers Centre was the original home of the National Basketball Association ' s Toronto Raptors , who played at the venue from November 1995 to February 1999 , while the Air Canada Centre was being built . It proved to be somewhat problematic as a basketball venue , even considering that it was only a temporary facility . For instance , many seats that were theoretically in line with the court were so far away that fans needed binoculars to see the action . Other seats were so badly obstructed that fans sitting there could only watch the game on the replay boards . For most games , Rogers Centre seated 22 , 900 people . However , the Raptors sometimes opened the upper level when popular opponents came to town , expanding capacity to 29 , 000 . Rogers Centre has also hosted exhibition soccer , cricket , Gaelic football , Australian rules football , tennis and four NCAA International Bowl games . The 1992 World Series and 1993 World Series were played at Rogers Centre . The World Wrestling Federation hosted WrestleMania VI and WrestleMania X8 at Rogers Centre in 1990 and 2002 . On May 31 , 1997 , the venue hosted a post Olympic track and field event that pitted Olympic track champions Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson , in a 150m race that was billed as a competition for the title of the " World ' s Fastest Man " . Bailey won the race , completing it in a time of 15 seconds and winning the 1 . 5 million dollar prize . Johnson pulled up lame at the 110m mark claiming a quadriceps injury . Soccer matches have been regularly held in recent years ; they had been rarely played at the venue when its AstroTurf surface had been in place . On June 8 , 2005 , an international soccer friendly between Serbia - Montenegro and Italy took place , ending in a 1 - 1 draw . Rogers Centre is the site of several major high school and collegiate sporting competitions Prentice Cup for baseball and , from 1989 to 2003 , the Vanier Cup championship of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football ( then SkyDome ) . Since 2008 , the Rogers Centre is the host of the Greater Toronto high school ' s Metro Bowl . In January 2007 , Rogers Centre played host to the first ever International Bowl , an NCAA college football game between Western Michigan University and the University of Cincinnati . In 2008 , Rutgers played Ball State in the second International Bowl . The University at Buffalo Bulls and the University of Connecticut Huskies played in the third International Bowl on January 3 , 2009 . In November 2007 , it hosted the 95th Grey Cup , its first since 1992 and third all - time . It was also the venue for the 2007 Desjardins Vanier Cup on Friday November 23 , just two days before Grey Cup Sunday . It was the 16th Vanier Cup hosted at SkyDome / Rogers Centre , returning after a three year absence in which it was hosted by Hamilton , Ontario ( 2004 and 2005 ) and Saskatoon , Saskatchewan ( 2006 ) . It was the 56th Grey Cup hosted by the city of Toronto since the championship ' s inception in 1909 , and the 40th Vanier Cup hosted by the Toronto since that championship ' s inception in 1965 . The National Football League ' s Buffalo Bills announced its intentions to play five " home " games ( and three pre - season games ) in Rogers Centre in October 2007 ; the first of these regular - season games took place on December 7 of the 2008 NFL season versus the Miami Dolphins . It marked the first time an NFL team has established a " home " stadium outside the United States . The Bills played a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Rogers Centre on August 14 , 2008 . ( See Bills Toronto Series for more information regarding this . ) In 2007 , Bruce Power , Canada ' s largest private nuclear operating company , struck a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays that would allow the energy producing company to power the Rogers Centre with emissions - free electricity . Games in the first round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic were played at the Rogers Centre . On July 16 , 2010 , the stadium hosted a friendly soccer match between England ' s Manchester United F . C . and Scotland ' s Celtic F . C . Manchester United F . C . defeated Celtic F . C . with a score of 3 – 1 . On April 30 , 2011 Ultimate Fighting Championship hosted their first event in Ontario ' s history , UFC 129 . Originally setup for 42 , 000 seats the event sold out on the first day of ticket sales . Changes were made to accommodate another 13 , 000 seats . Fans responded bringing the total seat sales to 55 , 000 - breaking previous UFC records . By the 2015 Pan American Games , the Rogers Centre will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies , as well as baseball . Concerts . The stadium has several concert configurations , including smaller " Theatre " ( capacity 5 , 000 to 7 , 000 ) and " Concert Hall " ( formerly " SkyTent " ; capacity 10 , 000 - 25 , 000 ) . Due to the design of the stadium and building materials used , the acoustics have been known to be rather poor , and the loudness / quality can vary greatly around the stadium . Its popularity with artists and fans has diminished over the years , with most stadium concerts taking place at the Air Canada Centre , since it opened . The SkyTent , a group of acoustical curtain sails that is hoisted on rigging above the floor , is used to help reduce sound distortion and improve sound quality by dampening reverberations around the stadium . Soon after its opening , the stadium became a popular venue for large scale rock concerts and is the largest indoor concert venue in Toronto . The dome has been open for only four concerts : Bruce Springsteen ' s show in 2003 and U2 ' s two concerts in 2009 , as well as their concert in 2011 , all part of their 360° Tour . Bon Jovi performed two sellout shows on July 20 and 21 , 2010 at the Rogers Centre . One of the more notable concerts , as shown in the documentary " " , was Madonna ' s 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour show . The touring show had become extremely controversial , due to the risqué visuals and performances . When the concert arrived in Toronto , police were alerted that the show might violate local obscenity laws . The police were on site for the concert and threatened charges without changes . The show went on as planned , however , without any legal action taken . On November 5 , 2011 , deadmau5 held his concert as part of his " Meowingtons Hax tour " . The concert was filmed and is available on DVD . The concert also featured Crystal Castles , MSTRKRFT , Manzone & Strong , 7Wallace , and Sydney Blu . Other uses . Rogers Centre contains of exhibition space , allowing it to host a variety of events year - round . It is home to several annual auto show s , with the Canadian International AutoShow in February and Importfest in October . World Wrestling Entertainment has used the facility to host two WrestleMania events as well as two broadcasts of " Monday Night RAW " in February 1997 and 1999 . Disney on Ice , Monster Jam , Supercross and circus es have also used the venue . The Opening Ceremonies of the XVI International AIDS Conference were held at Rogers Centre on August 13 , 2006 . It has also hosted many public speaker s , including appearances by the Dalai Lama , Christian Evangelist Billy Graham , Nelson Mandela , and J . K . Rowling , for a book reading . In addition to being a venue that hosts sports , concerts and other events , the Rogers Centre also houses the head offices of a number of businesses . The Toronto Blue Jays has its office headquarters located in the building and until 2008 , the Toronto Argonauts did as well . It is also the home of the head offices of Ticketmaster Canada and Zuffa Canada . Rogers Centre is the home of the main Ticketmaster outlet ( ticket centre ) for eastern Canada , located at the south end of the building beside Gate 9 . As well , the building contains the Toronto Renaissance Hotel , a Premier Fitness / Health Club , a Rogers Plus store , ( formerly ) a Hard Rock Cafe , and Windows Restaurant . Starting in 2006 , the Hard Rock Cafe only opened when there was a performance in the building . On non - event days , there are daily tours of the Rogers Centre . Facts and figures . Baseball firsts . First game . Date : June 5 , 1989 Final score : Milwaukee Brewers 5 , Toronto Blue Jays 3 Umpire s : Rocky Roe ( home ) , Mike Reilly ( first base ) , Rich Garcia ( second base ) , Dale Scott ( third base ) Managers : Cito Gaston ( Blue Jays ) , Tom Trebelhorn ( Brewers ) Starting pitcher s : Jimmy Key ( Blue Jays ) , Don August ( Brewers ) Attendance : 48 , 378 Batting . Batter : Paul Molitor , Brewers Blue Jays Batter : Junior Felix Hit : Paul Molitor , Brewers ( double ) Run : Paul Molitor , Brewers Blue Jays Run : George Bell RBI : Gary Sheffield , Brewers Blue Jays RBI : Fred McGriff Single : Kelly Gruber , Blue Jays Double : Paul Molitor , Brewers Triple : Jay Buhner , Mariners ( June 18 , 1989 ) Home run : Fred McGriff , Blue Jays ( June 5 , 1989 ) Grand slam : Inside - the - park home run : Stolen base : Fred McGriff , Blue Jays ( June 5 , 1989 ) Sacrifice hit : Robin Yount , Brewers ( June 5 , 1989 ) Sacrifice fly : Robin Yount , Brewers ( June 5 , 1989 ) Cycle : George Brett , Royals ( July 25 , 1990 ) Blue Jays cycle : Jeff Frye ( August 17 , 2001 ) Pitching . Win : Don August Blue Jays Win : John Cerutti ( June 7 , 1989 ) Loss : Jimmy Key Opposing Loss : Chris Bosio , Brewers ( June 7 , 1989 ) Shutout : Bert Blyleven , Angels ( July 18 , 1989 ) Blue Jays Shutout : Save : Dan Plesac , Brewers ( June 5 , 1989 ) Blue Jays Save : David Wells ( June 9 , 1989 ) Hit by pitch : Wild pitch : Balk : No - hitter : Dave Stewart , Athletics ( June 29 , 1990 )