Maple Leaf Stadium
| 300px Maple Leaf Stadium circa 1908 |
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| Location | Bathurst Street and Lake Shore Boulevard West |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jack Kent Cooke |
| Operator | Jack Kent Cooke |
| Capacity | approx 13,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1907 |
| Opened | 1908 |
| Renovated | 1926 |
| Closed | 1967; demolished 1968 |
| Architect | Chapman, Oxley & Bishop |
| Tenants | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club (1926-1967) Toronto Rifles football (1965) |
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Maple Leaf Stadium was a Jewel box style baseball stadium in Toronto built in 1926 by Lol Solman for his Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League on the site of a stadium that had been built in 1907. It continued to be the home of the Leafs for 42 seasons, until the team left town following the 1967 season. The stadium was demolished in 1968.
Maple Leaf Stadium was located at the foot of Bathurst Street on the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard (formerly Fleet Street) and designed by architects Chapman, Oxley and Bishop. Previously, the Maple Leafs had played at Hanlan's Point Stadium. The opening game was held on April 29, 1926, with the Leafs rallying to defeat the Reading Keystones in extra innings before a rain-soaked crowd of 12,781. Fans often referred to the stadium as the "Fleet Street Flats".
On November 8, 1926, Maple Leaf Stadium was the site of the first professional American football game to be played outside of the United States, a 28-0 victory of the New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Wildcats, both of the first American Football League. Estimated attendance for the game was 10,000.
Lights for night games were installed in 1934.
In the early 1960s, Leafs owner Jack Kent Cooke tried to persuade Toronto city council that a new stadium was needed to attract a major league team, but the city was unwilling to shoulder the costs. After the Leafs left, the run-down stadium was considered to be a safety hazard and demolition began within a few months. The site is currently occupied by apartment buildings. The adjacent Little Norway Park includes a ball field.
The Toronto Rifles of the Continental Football League played at the venue for their first season in 1965.
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See also
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