Rogers Centre's interior looks completely unrecognizable as stadium is gutted
Toronto Blue Jays fans are still feeling gutted after a heartbreaking disaster of an AL Wild Card Series in October.
And now, the team's home field is also looking gutted to match fans' crushed ambitions, as the Jays embark on a $300 million renovation aimed at improving the fan experience for Major League Baseball's seventh-oldest ballpark.
From practically the moment the Jays blew an 8-1 lead and shattered the hopes of an entire nation of baseball fans, the organization got to work on the first phase of its stadium renovation project.
The renovation has been ongoing since early October, and photos captured from within the 1989-built domed stadium show that the interior has been rendered practically unrecognizable.
THREAD: The Rogers Centre makeover is well underway.
— TBJ Live (@TBJLive) November 3, 2022
Here’s what has been happening since the Blue Jays season ended:
🔹 Entire 500 Level & 100/200 Level Outfield seats being removed
🔹 500 Level Outfield sections opened to concourse
🔹 200 Level reshaping#NextLevel #TBJLive pic.twitter.com/AKQdwO2eg2
Demolition crews have already torn out the entire 500 level's seating and opened up its outfield sections to the concourse.
Seating is also in the process of being removed for the 100 and 200 levels' outfield areas, while the 200 level will be reshaped to improve sight lines.
A video of the teardown work shows a mobile crane lowering a row of seating from the stadium's upper deck, along with an excavator taking bites out of the concrete structure of the 500 level.
Stay tuned to see the progress unfold! #NextLevel #TBJLive pic.twitter.com/KhWntj5lpZ
— TBJ Live (@TBJLive) November 3, 2022
The ongoing teardown work will pave the way for changes, including new patio-style seating on the 500 level, and the addition of elevated seats near the foul poles with a curved protrusion that puts fans closer to the action.
#NextLevel changes are coming 👀 pic.twitter.com/unO1ZWPkXt
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 28, 2022
The Rogers Centre will be upgraded over the course of the next two to three off-seasons, and the stadium's new features might not be fully complete until 2025.
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