Maple Leaf Stadium
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| Maple Leaf Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bathurst Street and Lakeshore Boulevard West |
| Broke ground | 1907 |
| Opened | 1908 |
| Closed | 1960; demolished 1968 |
| Owner | Jack Kent Cooke |
| Operator | Jack Kent Cooke |
| Surface | Grass |
| Architect | Chapman, Oxley & Bishop |
| Tenants | Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club |
| Capacity | approx 13,000 |
Maple Leaf Stadium was a baseball stadium in Toronto built in 1926 by Lol Solman for his Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League. 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 Lakeshore Boulevard (formerly Fleet Street) and designed by architects Chapman, Oxley & 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.
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 apartments shaped like the old ball park.
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