Maple Leaf Gardens
Summary
Recognized as a National Historic Site, Maple Leaf Gardens served as a continuous hub of civic life for the past 80 years. The Gardens was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club from 1931 until 1999, and also hosted a wide variety of large-scale public gatherings, from operas to political rallies.
The adaptive-reuse redevelopment by Loblaws and Ryerson University retains the exterior shell of the arena building, including the central dome, and removes most of the interior structure below the roof. New floors levels built inside of the existing envelope allow the converted mixed-use building to house a grocerateria at street-level and university sports complex above – including a new, smaller-scale hockey arena on the uppermost level, centred beneath the dome.
ERA has been intensively involved in the adaptive re-use project, and has provided heritage consulting services from project inception. ERA is directing the restoration of the building envelope, including extensive masonry work and the replacement of the steel industrial heritage windows. ERA is also designing and overseeing the restoration of the iconic Carlton Street marquee.
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