Maple Leaf Gardens – Ontario

“I vividly remember my visit to Maple Leaf Gardens, located at the intersection of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada back in 2013. The building was originally constructed as an indoor arena for hosting hockey games but has since been adapted to include a grocery store and several other amenities. This visit was an enjoyable experience that helped me decide to move to the area.

The building’s open spaces were brightly lit and colourful, with large-scale graphics and a well-curated food department that transformed the mundane task of grocery shopping into a unique destination. This transformation played up the rich history of the site, which was previously used for hosting various sports and other events.

Moreover, keeping the upper levels of the building intact as a sports arena, now known as the Mattamy Athletic Centre, demonstrates how different uses can coexist within a single building, and how adaptive reuse can represent diverse aspects of contemporary urban life.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2024, p.54)

Image: Nigeria V Canada, 7 August, 2019 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (Maple Leaf Gardens) (copyright Michael Otchie) 

Google map link: maple leaf gardens – Google Maps