Exhibition Place
Looking East from the CNE Ferris Wheel (National Trade Centre
at left, Automotive Building at right).
The Princes’ Gates in 2005.
The Horticulture Building, constructed in 1907.
Exhibition Place is a mixed-use property on the Toronto
shore of Lake Ontario, a few kilometers west of the cent-
ral business district. The 197–acre area features expo,
trade, and banquet centres, theater and music buildings,
parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provin-
cial, and national historic sites. From mid-August
Direct Energy Centre, Canada’s largest indoor exhibition hall.
through Labour Day each year, the Canadian National
Exhibition (CNE), from which name Exhibition Place is
derived, is held on the grounds. During the CNE, Exhibi-
tion Place encompasses 260 acres (1.1 km2), expanding
to include nearby parks and parking lots. The CNE fea-
tures games and a midway, among a host of attractions.
The fair is one of the largest and most successful of its
kind in North America, and an important part of the cul-
ture of Toronto, the province, and the nation itself. The
grounds have seen a mix of protection for heritage
buildings along with new development.
The Site
Exhibition Place is a large area west of downtown
Toronto’s city core. The complex has a variety of build-
ings, open spaces and monuments. It hosts a wide array
of activities year-round, but is best known for an annual
summer fair, the Canadian National Exhibition. The site
also has a long history of stadiums for major league
baseball and football teams. The newest sports facility to
be built is the soccer-specific stadium, BMO Field.
The site is home to Direct Energy Centre (formerly
the National Trade Centre), Canada’s largest trade
centre, and Ricoh Coliseum, home to the American
Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. The site plays host to
various international events such as the Steelback Grand
Prix of Toronto, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and
many corporate and public trade shows.
The eastern entrance to Exhibition Place is marked
by