| Maple Leaf Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Maple Leaf Square | |
  Location in Toronto | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Public square, Hotel, Condominium, Office, Retail |
| Location | 15 York St.,Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°38′33″N79°22′49″W / 43.642632°N 79.380200°W /43.642632; -79.380200 |
| Construction started | January 2007 |
| Completed | 2010 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 186 m (610 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 54 (topped out) |
| Floor area | 1,800,000 sq ft (170,000 m2) |
| Grounds | 2.1 acres (0.85 ha) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects with Page & Steele Architects (Architect of Record) |
| Main contractor | PCL Construction[1] |
| Other information | |
| Number of units | 872 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Maple Leaf Square is a multi-use complex andpublic square located in theSouth Core neighbourhood ofToronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the west of theScotiabank Arena on the formerRailway Lands. The $500 million development was jointly developed byCadillac Fairview, Lanterra andMaple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), who own the nearby Scotiabank Arena. The complex has 1,800,000 square feet (170,000 m2) of usable space covering 2.1 acres (0.85 ha) on one city block.[2]
Maple Leaf Square is named afterMaple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns theToronto Maple Leafs andToronto Raptors, both of which play inScotiabank Arena next to the square.[3][4] During the 2014 postseason for the Raptors, the public square became a popular gathering area to view playoff games, and was nicknamed by fans asJurassic Park,[4][5] in reference to thefilm from which the Raptors team name originated. The square is now colloquially referred to as Jurassic Park by the fans and media in addition to the real name, theRaptors Tailgate.[6]
On September 25, 2014, it was reported that the official name of the square would be changed to Ford Square from Maple Leaf Square, after theFord Motor Company of Canada's purchase ofnaming rights to the square.[7] After public uproar to the rename,[8][9][10][11] five days later, MLSE said that those reports were "premature and unfounded" and that they would not get rid of the name.[8] Instead, they announced that the square would be rebranded as theFord Fan Zone at Maple Leaf Square[8] due to a five-year sponsorship deal with Ford Canada.[10]
Construction on the project began in January 2007.
The two glass andcast-in-place concrete towers are 65 storeys, containing 872 residential units, a 167-room Hotel LeGermain BoutiqueHotel, 230,000 square feet (21,000 m2) of office space, 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of retail space, a 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) daycare centre, a high-definition theatre that broadcastsLeafs Nation Network andNBA TV Canada 24-hours a day, and four levels of undergroundparking with nearly 900 spaces.
The retail complex includes aLongo's grocery, a 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2)sports bar called Real Sports Bar and Grill, a sports retail store called Real Sports Apparel, a fine dining restaurant called E11even, a fan apparel specific location of Sportchek and a branch of theToronto Dominion Bank. For residents, there is arooftop garden andswimming pool. The development was designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver status for the project'senvironmental sustainability.
The building partly served as inspiration forLECOM Harborcenter, a multi-use building built nearKeyBank Center inBuffalo, New York byBuffalo Sabres andBuffalo Bills ownerTerrence Pegula'sPegula Sports and Entertainment. The similarity is most noticeable in the design of the restaurant: LECOM Harborcenter's 716 Food and Sport was largely based on Maple Leaf Square's Real Sports Bar and Grill.
Maple Leaf Square | |
|---|---|
| Public square | |
| Jurassic Park | |
 | |
| Features | Video screens |
| Opening date | 2010 |
| Owner | City of Toronto |
| Location | Toronto,Ontario, Canada |
Maple Leaf Square | |
| Coordinates:43°38′35.5″N79°22′49.4″W / 43.643194°N 79.380389°W /43.643194; -79.380389 | |
The public square has a capacity of 5,000 people. It hosts pre-game gatherings and other sports-related events.[12]
In conjunction with the project, the Scotiabank Arena itself on the side of Maple Leaf Square was renovated.[12] The renovations included a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) atrium addition to the west side of the arena which abuts the plaza. The outside wall of the atrium features a 50 by 80-foot (24 m) video screen overlooking the plaza which was inspired by similar plazas atL.A. Live inLos Angeles, andVictory Park inDallas.[12] Games going on inside the arena are often displayed live on the outdoor screen.
The square was the first such plaza in Canada. It has been since emulated inEdmonton with a plaza in theIce District byDaryl Katz, owner of theEdmonton Oilers and inWinnipeg withTrue North Square byTrue North Sports and Entertainment, owners of theWinnipeg Jets.
The public square holds special outdoor viewings of significant games like home openers and playoff games for both theToronto Maple Leafs andToronto Raptors on a giant video screen affixed above the west entrance ofScotiabank Arena.Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns both franchises, puts concession and merchandise stands on the square during such occasions.[4] These viewings happen regardless of whether the team is playing at home or on the road. Popularity of this fan experience has risen over the years and has required heightened security and traffic control.[13] Interest in attendance reached a new level on May 25, 2019, to watch the Raptors win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to theNBA Finals for the first time.[14][15][16] Following the Raptors' historic win in the2019 NBA Finals, the City of Toronto renamed as Raptors Way a portion of Bremner Boulevard from York Street to Lake Shore Boulevard.[17]
Officially, it's called 'Raptors Tailgate in Maple Leaf Square,' but it's better known as Jurassic Park.
| |
| Franchise | |
| History | |
| Personnel |
|
| Arenas | |
| Rivalries | |
| Affiliates | |
| Media | |
| Culture and lore | |
