Maple Leaf Square
| Maple Leaf Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Maple Leaf Square's North Tower | |
  Location in Toronto | |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Public square, Hotel, Condominium, Office, Retail |
| Location | 15 York St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°38′33″N 79°22′49″W / 43.642632°N 79.380200°WCoordinates: 43°38′33″N 79°22′49″W / 43.642632°N 79.380200°W |
| 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 | |
| Architect | 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 (and colloquially "Jurassic Park"[2] while the Raptors are playing) is a public square along with a residential, office, retail, entertainment and hotel complex in Toronto, Canada. It is located to the west of the Air Canada Centre in Downtown Toronto in the former Railway Lands. The $500 million development was jointly developed by Cadillac Fairview, Lanterra and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), who owns the nearby Air Canada Centre. 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.[3]
Name
The name of the square and complex is Maple Leaf Square, after the Toronto Maple Leafs that play in the Air Canada Centre next to the square. The square also has the nickname Jurassic Park, after the 1993 movie Jurassic Park, from which the Toronto Raptors were given their name.[2][4]
On September 25, 2014, it was reported that official name of the square would be changed to Ford Square from Maple Leaf Square, after the Ford Motor Company of Canada's purchase of naming rights to the square.[5] After public uproar to the rename,[6][7][8][9] five days later, MLSE said that those reports were "premature and unfounded" and they would not get rid of the name.[6] Instead, they announced that the square would be branded as the Ford Fan Zone at Maple Leaf Square[6] due to a five-year sponsorship deal with Ford Canada.[8]
History
Construction on the project began in January 2007.
The two glass and precast concrete towers are 65 storeys, containing 872 residential units, a 167-room Hotel LeGermain Boutique Hotel, 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 will broadcast Leafs TV and Raptors NBA TV 24-hours a day, and four levels of underground parking with nearly 900 spaces.
The retail complex includes a Longo'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, and a branch of the Toronto Dominion Bank. For residents, there is a rooftop garden and swimming pool. The development was designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver status for the project's environmental sustainability. The LEED rating system recognizes leading-edge buildings that incorporate design, construction and operational practices that combine healthy, high-quality and high-performance advantages with reduced environmental impacts.[10]
The building partly served as inspiration for HarborCenter, a multi use building being constructed near First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York by Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills owner Terrence Pegula in many respects but most noticeably in the design of the restaurant inside where HarborCenter's 716 Food and Sport which was largely designed off of Maple Leaf Square's Real Sports Bar and Grill.
Public square
| Maple Leaf Square | |
|---|---|
| Public square | |
 Fans watching the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Boston Bruins in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs | |
| Features: | Video screens |
| Opening date: | 2010 |
| Owner: | City of Toronto |
| Location: | Toronto, ON, Canada |
|
Maple Leaf Square Location of Maple Leaf Square in Toronto | |
| Coordinates: 43°38′35.5″N 79°22′49.4″W / 43.643194°N 79.380389°W | |
The public square has a capacity of 5,000 people, which hosts pre-game gatherings and other sports-related events.[11]
In conjunction with the project, the Air Canada Centre itself on the side of Maple Leaf Square was renovated.[11] The renovations included an 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 at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, and Victory Park in Dallas.[11] Games going on inside the arena are often displayed live on the outdoor screen.
The public square holds special outdoor viewings of playoff games by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, who owns both franchises, puts concession and merchandise stands on the square during said occasions.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ - Construction Update
- 1 2 Toronto Raptors fans pack Maple Leaf Square for Game 7 against Brooklyn Nets, National Post, May 4, 2014
- ↑ Maple Leaf Square Update | June 9, 2008
- 1 2 Why Jurassic Park Is Ground Zero For Raptors Fans, The Star
- ↑ "maple leaf square gets renamed" (sept 25, 2014). Global News. Sep 25, 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- 1 2 3 Maple Leaf Square will live on, MLSE says, Toronto Star, September 30, 2014
- ↑ Never mind what MLSE wants, the square's name stays the same, September 26, Toronto Star
- 1 2 Maple Leaf Square will not be renamed Ford Square, CityNews Toronto, September 30
- ↑ Maple Leaf Square will not be renamed Ford Square after all, Global News, September 30, 2014
- ↑ - LEED Silver
- 1 2 3 Shoalts, David (2008-09-10). "ACC could look better than Leafs this season". Globe & Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
External links
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