Maple Leaf Square is a multi-use complex and public square located in Toronto, Ontario, 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.
Video Maple Leaf Square
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.
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. After public uproar to the rename, five days later, MLSE said that those reports were "premature and unfounded" and they would not get rid of the name. Instead, they announced that the square would be branded as the Ford Fan Zone at Maple Leaf Square due to a five-year sponsorship deal with Ford Canada.
Maps Maple Leaf Square
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 building partly served as inspiration for HarborCenter, a multi-use building built near First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York by Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills owner Terrence Pegula. The similarity is most noticeable in the design of the restaurant: HarborCenter's 716 Food and Sport was largely based on Maple Leaf Square's Real Sports Bar and Grill.
Public square
The public square has a capacity of 5,000 people, which hosts pre-game gatherings and other sports-related events.
In conjunction with the project, the Air Canada Centre itself on the side of Maple Leaf Square was renovated. 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. 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. The presence of Raptors fans in the square during their 2014, 2015 and 2016 playoff runs have led the square to be nicknamed "Jurassic Park" (in reference to the film).
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Canada
- List of tallest buildings in Toronto
References
External links
- Official website
- Maple Leaf Square Condos
- Photos of the project
- Photos of the Building
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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