Rogers Centre, called SkyDome until 2005, is the stadium in downtown Toronto that opened in June 1989 with what the Canadian Encyclopedia describes as the world’s first fully retractable-ceilinged multi-purpose stadium. Two other modern Toronto landmarks sit nearby in the same part of the city: the PATH, a pedestrian network that has grown from one tunnel built in 1900 to more than 30 kilometers (19 miles) of walkways, and the Toronto Music Garden on the Harbourfront, opened in 1999.
SkyDome: how the stadium came to be
SkyDome was designed in the mid-1980s. According to the Globe and Mail’s obituary of the architect, Rod Robbie and the Ottawa structural engineer Michael Allen were chosen as its head designers. Robbie had earlier led the firm that won the 1966 commission for the Canadian pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, the inverted pyramid known as Katimavik. The Globe and Mail reports that SkyDome was budgeted at $125 million (CAD) and in the end cost more than $650 million (CAD). The cost overrun strained Robbie’s firm, which claimed $36 million (CAD) from the project and agreed in 1992 to about $24 million (CAD).
The stadium opened with large public ceremonies in June 1989. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that the roof was opened during the ceremony and that rain fell on the crowd. Secondary sources, including a University of Toronto engineering listing, give the opening day as June 3, 1989. The primary sources reviewed for this article agree on the year and month but do not name the day.
Debt, ownership and the change of name
The Canadian Encyclopedia says SkyDome opened with a debt of $165 million (CAD), a large part of it tied to the addition of a hotel to the complex, and that the debt had grown to $400 million (CAD) by 1993. The Ontario government paid off the debt from the provincial treasury in 1994 and sold the stadium at a discount. Private owners filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998, and several further owners followed. Rogers Communications bought the building in 2004, put millions of dollars into updates, and the stadium became Rogers Centre in 2005.
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Robbie’s firm wins the Expo 67 Canadian pavilion commission | Globe and Mail |
| 1989 | SkyDome opens, roof opened at the ceremony | Canadian Encyclopedia; Globe and Mail |
| 1992 and 1993 | Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1994 | Province pays off the debt and sells the stadium at a discount | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 1998 | Private owners file for bankruptcy protection | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 2002 | WrestleMania X8 draws about 68,000, an attendance record | Canadian Encyclopedia |
| 2004 and 2005 | Rogers Communications buys the stadium; renamed Rogers Centre | Canadian Encyclopedia |
Events held at the stadium
The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, and the Canadian Encyclopedia lists WrestleMania X8 in 2002 as an attendance record of about 68,000. Game dates, ticket rules, bag policies and the schedule of other events change every season, so the operator’s own pages are the place to check them. Whether the roof is open or closed on a given day is decided by the venue.
The PATH: from Eaton’s tunnels to a downtown network
The City of Toronto traces the first underground path in the city to 1900, when the T. Eaton Co. joined its main store on Yonge Street and its bargain annex with tunnels. By 1917 there were five tunnels in the downtown core. After Union Station opened in 1927, a tunnel connected it to the Royal York Hotel. The City writes that “the real growth of PATH began in the 1970s”, starting with a tunnel linking the Richmond-Adelaide and Sheraton Centres. In 1987 City Council became the coordinating agency for the system and agreed to pay for system-wide signage design. New wayfinding was developed in 2016 and 2017 and installed in spring 2018.
What the PATH is today
The City’s PATH page gives the following description of the network. One other City page gives the length as 27 kilometers (16 miles), so the figures differ between City pages; this article uses the PATH page itself.
- Length: more than 30 kilometers (19 miles), mostly underground.
- Connected buildings: more than 75, along with three major department stores and nine hotels.
- Shops and services: about 1,200 restaurants, shops and services, with 3.7 million square feet (about 344,000 square meters) of retail space.
- Subway access: six subway stations, plus Union Station.
- Use: more than 200,000 business-day commuters, as well as tourists and residents.
Union Station, the network’s major rail and transit connection, has its own history, covered in a separate article. The City co-ordinates and facilitates the directional signage, maps and identity markers throughout the system. Opening hours differ by building, so the City’s PATH map and the individual buildings are the references for access times.
Toronto Music Garden
The Toronto Music Garden lies on Queens Quay West on the central waterfront. A City of Toronto research report states that it was designed by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy, and that the garden interprets Bach’s First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello, with each dance movement of the suite matched to a different area of the garden. Harbourfront Centre credits the suite with inspiring Yo-Yo Ma to create the garden in 1999. The City’s public gardens listing describes native and ornamental perennials with wrought iron elements tied to the cello suite, and Harbourfront Centre notes that the park is wheelchair accessible.
Harbourfront Centre uses the garden for a summer concert series, Summer Music in the Garden. Its 2024 season materials marked 25 years of the garden, consistent with the 1999 date. Concert dates change yearly and are published on the Harbourfront Centre site.
Frequently asked questions
When did SkyDome open, and when did it become Rogers Centre?
SkyDome opened in June 1989. It was renamed Rogers Centre in 2005, after Rogers Communications bought it in 2004.
Who designed SkyDome?
The Globe and Mail reports that the architect Rod Robbie and the structural engineer Michael Allen were chosen as head designers in the mid-1980s.
How long is the PATH?
The City’s PATH page says more than 30 kilometers (19 miles). Another City page gives 27 kilometers (16 miles), so the exact figure depends on how the network is counted.
Who designed the Toronto Music Garden?
A City of Toronto research report credits Yo-Yo Ma and Julie Moir Messervy. Harbourfront Centre dates the garden to 1999.
Related reading
- Union Station: history, architecture and role in the city
- The CN Tower and how it was built
- History of Toronto’s professional sports teams
- An overview of Toronto’s history
- Visiting Toronto: landmarks, districts and where to start
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Toronto Feature: Rogers Centre” (Museum Services of the City of Toronto and Heritage Toronto)
- The Globe and Mail, obituary of Rod Robbie, architect of SkyDome and the Expo 67 Canadian pavilion
- City of Toronto, PATH page for visitors
- City of Toronto, Premier-Ranked Tourist Destination Project research report (2007), and the public gardens listing on the City of Toronto website
- Harbourfront Centre, event and venue pages for the Toronto Music Garden
- University of Toronto engineering event listing giving the June 3, 1989 opening date (secondary for this detail)
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Rogers Centre, the PATH and the Toronto Music Garden. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-a-modern-marvel-in-the-heart-of-toronto
MLA: “Rogers Centre, the PATH and the Toronto Music Garden.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-a-modern-marvel-in-the-heart-of-toronto. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Rogers Centre, the PATH and the Toronto Music Garden.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-canada-rogers-centre-a-modern-marvel-in-the-heart-of-toronto.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.