Having worked at U of T stadium and arena for many years it's great to see the investment in a new facility. I find it suprising that seating was placed at the eastern side as it restricts growth eastward and make afternoon and evening viewing of events harder to see with the setting sun.
How do you feel about the destruction of old Varsity Stadium? Although, there are many beneficial characteristics of the new facility, Varsity Stadium was arguably more historically important, as part of north America's sports heritage, than Maple Leaf Gardens. It didn't receive the protection it deserved because college football no longer holds the place it once did with Torontonians and we're not talking hockey here. Let's keep in mind that the Varsity Blues were getting crowds of 20,000+ way back in 1950.
It begs the question, if we tore Varsity Stadium down because our connection to it disappeared, what's to prevent a repeat 50 years from now with Maple Leaf Gardens? That generation of Torontonians will associate hockey with the ACC, or worse still, hockey may go the same way as football has in this city due to cultural shifts. There are already signs of changes in the sporting choices in this city. The rise of soccer is the most blatant. Some say it could never happen to hockey, but they also said that about football in Toronto 50 years ago.
Your points regarding the placement of the stands is a valid one, but what about the athletics track? I realize U of T doesn't have land to spare, but football and athletics tracks don't work well together. We've gone from a 22,000 seat national treasure with great sight lines, to a 5,000 seat stadium with bad sight lines.
If old Varsity Stadium was in the US, it would have received heritage designation and people would have made pilgrimages just to see it. Because it was Canada, and it was football, we tore it down. New Varsity Stadium looks great, but is awful for football. We've also lost an irreplaceable part of north America's sporting heritage. They should have found another way.
Oldest football stadium was Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto. It opened in 1898, a full 37 years after the world's first documented football match was played at University College, University of Toronto on November 9, 1861. The original structure was replaced by a newer structure in 1924. This second structure was replaced by the current structure built in 2007.
26th Grey Cup played on December 10, 1938 at Varsity Stadium, Toronto.
Toronto Argonauts 30, Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7
http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_kevinp/2007_11_201938.jpg
