Ontario Place

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Ontario Place

Ontario Place is a multiple use entertainment and seasonal amusement park in Toronto, Canada and owned by the Province of Ontario. Located on the shore of Lake Ontario, just south of Exhibition Place, it is approximately 4 km west of downtown Toronto. Opening in 1971, it consists of three artificially constructed, landscaped islands. Attractions are spread throughout the park, as well as walking trails and food and drink concessions. Traditionally targeted at a family audience, with emphasis on children's activities, the park has a seasonal operating schedule and is closed from October through April, with the exception of the Cinesphere IMAX theatre and private event space. Central to the complex is a public marina and a major concert theatre. Historically, Ontario Place, as a publicly subsidized provincial agency, aims to keep costs, especially for families, lower than comparable attractions. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,024 × 768 pixels, file size: 367 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,024 × 768 pixels, file size: 367 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 107 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, USA, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ... Looking East from the CNE Ferris Wheel (National Trade Centre at left, Automotive Building at right). ... Cinesphere is the worlds first permanent IMAX theatre, built in 1971. ... IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia BFI London IMAX by night LHemisferic (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències) Valencia, Spain IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canadas IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater... A small marina at Brixham, Devon, England. ...

History

Background

Sailboats at Ontario Place

Even as far back as the 1960s, Toronto was concerned about its waterfront. It had suffered through more than a century of intense industrialization which cut the city off from the lakefront. By the late 1960s, half a century of automobile-centric lakeside planning had made the Toronto waterfront an unappealing, heavily industrialized location, despite its obvious potential. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,048 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,048 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 1. ... Toronto Waterfront as seen from the CN Tower (looking south east) Toronto Waterfront at Humber Bay The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the Municipality of Toronto, Canada. ...

Ontario Place was conceived to help to revitalize the waterfront, attract tourists to Toronto, and in part, appease the City, which was frustrated at the high level of government investment that flowed to rival Montreal for Expo 67. Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - Total 365. ... The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or simply Expo 67 was the General Exhibition Category 1 Worlds Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from April 27 to October 29, 1967. ...

The park itself was originally conceived as an onshore exhibit, but this idea was discarded in favour of five large, architecturally unique, three-level Pods. Each Pod would be approximately 8,000 square feet (743 m²) in area, and suspended by steel cables from four large central pylons driven deep into the lake bed. These Pods would initially house various Ontario-themed exhibits in an aquatic setting somewhat similar in concept to Montreal's Expo 67 grounds (which were in the middle of the St. Lawrence River). The Saint Lawrence River (French fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ...

However, a difficult but unexpectedly useful problem developed. The cost of the open-water Pod foundations alone (at the time, estimated at C$9 million) would consume almost the entire budget for the Pods' construction. Architect Eb Zeidler was faced with a dilemma: how to construct the Pods without the necessary budget. “C$” redirects here. ...

Zeidler developed an innovative solution: after a trip to the Caribbean, he realized that a "barrier reef" concept would cut down on wave action from the lake enough to reduce the cost of the Pods' foundation to 1/10th of the original open-water estimate. After some quarrels with the port authorities (due to the dangers of the unseen reef to shipping), the reef plan was modified to incorporate three artificial "barrier islands" made from city landfill. Ironically, the barrier islands were to be so well crafted, they became an integral part of the Ontario Place experience. Satellite image of a part of the Great Barrier Reef. ... Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is a Port Authority responsible for all activities in the Port of Toronto, including the Toronto City Centre Airport. ...

The children's village was designed by Eric MacMillan, the glass pagoda building was designed by Raymond Moriyama.

Construction

Ontario Place Pods are anchored into the water.

The five steel and aluminum pavilion pods are eighty-eight-square feet in dimension. The pods are supported on four pipe columns, rising 105 above the lake. Tension cables support the short-span trusses. They sit on concrete filled caissons, driven 30 feet into the lake's bedrock. Each of the pavilions is connected to one another and the land by glazed steel bridges. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,048 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 1,003 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The content of this image was reviewed by Skeezix1000 and afterwards uploaded by FlickrLickr. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,048 × 1,536 pixels, file size: 1,003 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The content of this image was reviewed by Skeezix1000 and afterwards uploaded by FlickrLickr. ...

The Forum, an outdoor concert venue, was featured on a central hub-island, while a children's village would occupy an eastern island. A commercial section overlooked the water, with modular construction for shops and restaurants to the west. All would be connected by an intricately planned set of walkways and bridges. In addition, each island would have a unique colour scheme, and the entire complex was later infused with the brilliant colours and graphic design that were typical of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

The open-air Forum theatre sat 3,000 and had additional grass 'seats'. The roof structure was a hyperbolic paraboloid positioned on cement bastions. It covered a 68 foot revolving stage, giving near 360 degree sightlines. The roof was made out of tongue and groove plywood, covered by copper sheathing.

The sophistication of the original barrier island layout should be noted. Architect Michael Hough overlaid a scale model of the University of Toronto's excellent walking paths onto the Ontario Place plans to check for appropriate walking distances. This ensured that comfortable rest areas were placed appropriately, so that children and the elderly would not need to walk too far without a comfortable seat (or access to candy!). Soon after opening in 1971, a rubber-wheeled tractor train was used to take visitors between key points on the various islands, though this has long since been discontinued. The University of Toronto (U of T) is a public research university in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

Prevailing wind and wave conditions were also considered in the design, a scale model of which was tested in the University of Toronto's wind tunnel. Large earthwork berms planted with tall native Ontario trees were created to shelter walkways from the prevailing southwesterly winds. Look up Berm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

To the south, a cost-effective and theme-congruent plan to sink three large obsolete Great Lakes shipping vessels was implemented, which sheltered the artificial harbour from intense open-lake waves. (The same technique would later be used on Toronto Island and the Outer Harbour.) The first phase of construction was the sinking of the ships onto a stone bed, then covered in concrete forming a 1500' breakwater. Once the perimeter was finished, work began on the 50 acres of the three artificial islands. The Toronto Islands provide a shallow natural harbour for the city of Toronto. ...

There was originally some controversy about allowing a public facility to house an upscale boating dock within the new artificial harbour. However, supporters of the plan believed that the dock's integration into Ontario Place would tie the location closer to the lake via boating activity, and improve the general ambiance.

The Cinesphere is an 800 seat 70mm IMAX theatre. The building is inside a 'spherical triodetic dome', with a 61' outer radius, and a 56' inner radius. The dome is supported by prefabricated steel aluminum alloy tubes. IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia BFI London IMAX by night LHemisferic (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències) Valencia, Spain IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canadas IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater...

Ontario Place was designed to have a modular use and appearance. Zeidler says that the structures were designed to "give an illusion of dimensionless space, exploiting technology to shape the society of tomorrow." (quote from pg. 159 of Modern Canadian Architecture ISBN 0-88830-248-7)

Opening Day until Today

The original park has been altered since its inception. The popular outdoor concert stage, The Forum, was torn down in the mid-1990s and replaced with the Molson Amphitheatre. Molson Amphitheatre (commonly called the Amphitheatre) is a semi-enclosed outdoor concert venue in Toronto, Ontario. ...

Facts and figures

Molson Amphitheatre and Ontario Place waterpark

• Construction start date: March 17, 1969
• Opening day: May 22, 1971
• Total cost: $29,000,000 (Canadian funds, not adjusted for inflation)
• Client: Ontario Department of Trade and Development
• Architects: Craig, Zeidler; Strong
• Structural Engineers: Gordon Dowdell Associates
• Landscape Architects: Hough, Stansbury and Associates
• Contractor: Secant Construction
• Initial park size: 360,000 m² (96 acres), 206,000 m² (51.4 acres) created by landfill
• First-year admission price: $1.00 Adults, $0.50 for Children
• Seating: The Forum: 8,000, Molson Amphitheatre: 16,000

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,024 × 768 pixels, file size: 295 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,024 × 768 pixels, file size: 295 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

Current attractions

Ontario Place has rides and attractions, including the world's first permanent IMAX movie theatre: the Cinesphere. IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia BFI London IMAX by night LHemisferic (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències) Valencia, Spain IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canadas IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far greater... Cinesphere is the worlds first permanent IMAX theatre, built in 1971. ...

• The Cinesphere is a geodesic dome-shaped structure which contains the theatre. It is similar in style to 'Spaceship Earth' at Epcot in Orlando Florida, except the latter is a complete sphere.

• The Molson Amphitheatre is a large open-air venue for larger-scale music concerts. Major acts like Judas Priest, R.E.M., Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Blue Rodeo, Coldplay, Jack Johnson and the Tragically Hip have all been featured in summer concerts at the site. Bryan Adams opened the facility in May 1995.

East Island - Market Square Spaceship Earth in Epcot Center at Walt Disney World is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a large scale geodesic sphere. ... This article is about the Epcot theme park. ... Molson Amphitheatre (commonly called the Amphitheatre) is a semi-enclosed outdoor concert venue in Toronto, Ontario. ... For other uses, see Judas priest (curse). ... R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Michael Stipe (vocals). ... This article is about the band. ... Dave Matthews Band (also known by the acronym DMB) is a United States-based alternative rock band, originally formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991 by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Dave Matthews. ... Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto. ... Coldplay are an English rock band. ... Jack Hody Johnson (born May 18, 1975) [1] is a Hawaii-born musician, filmmaker, and surfer who has achieved commercial success and a dedicated following from the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales in 2001 all the way up to his latest album; Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for... The Tragically Hip is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario. ... For other persons of the same name, see Brian Adams. ...

• Power Wheels
• Cyclone
• Mini Bumper Boats
• First Flight
• Free Fall
• Mini Greens
• Power Wheels Track
• Super Slide
• Treehouse Live! Stage

East Island - Soak City

• Water park with various slides and pools
  • Waterplay
  • Purple Pipeline
  • Pink Twister
  • Hydrofuge
  • Rush River

Centre Island - Marina Village

• Cinesphere
• Atlantis - Restaurant/Club
• OP Driving School
• Bumper Boats
• Cool Hoops
• Marina with Lake Ontario access

West Island - GO Zone

• Bob's Boat Yard (Pedal Boats)
• H20 Generation Station - The largest outdoor climbing structure in Canada
• Atom Blaster
• Waterfall Showplace
• Microkids

West Island - Adventure Island

• Wilderness Adventure Ride - Log ride
• MegaMaze
• F/X Theatre
• Gemstone Mining

Former attractions and venues

Attractions:

• The HMCS Haida (G63) is a decommissioned Second World War destroyer that was open to the public. In the early 1960s, the ship was going to be scrapped, but volunteers raised enough money to have it saved and towed to Toronto. It opened as an attraction in August of 1965 at the pier on York Street. The city had planned to build a 'Serviceman's Memorial Park' near Prince's Gates at Exhibition Place. When the organization 'Haida Inc.' ran into financial problems, the ship was taken over by the Province of Ontario and moved in 1970 to the Ontario Place site, where it was turned into an attraction. It was also used as a Sea Cadet training camp. In 2002 it was bought by Parks Canada and taken to a new home in Hamilton, Ontario for some much needed restoration and incorporated into a new marine museum in that city.

• The Forum was an outdoor concert venue that was an architectural landmark torn down to make way for the Molson Amphitheatre: it featured covered seating under a unique tent-like, metal framed, solid roof, with extra seating on the open surrounding, grassy hills. While having only half the seating capacity of the current Amphitheatre, it had (arguably) better sound, bench seating, and offered a far more intimate theatre-in-the-round experience; featuring a rotating stage which gave every seat in the house, in turn, an excellent view. It also had the benefit of being generally free with park admission. Featured events included an annual Toronto Symphony rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with the firing of the guns from the nearby HMCS Haida, and often performances by well established acts, such as BB King, Pat Metheny and Canadian Bruce Cockburn. Unfortunately, due to a riot by Teenage Head fans in 1981 (purportedly instigated by their manager, who allegedly was interested in the publicity) rock acts were thereafter banned from the venue. However, perhaps the greatest loss with the passing of The Forum, is a sense of an integrated experience with the rest of Ontario Place; since it was centrally located to function as a kind of musical pass-through walking hub for the rest of the facility and the concert was usually included as part of the inexpensive admission.

HMCS Haida (G-63) is the most famous ship in the Royal Canadian Navy, having sunk more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian ship. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... USS McFaul underway in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Looking East from the CNE Ferris Wheel (National Trade Centre at left, Automotive Building at right). ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 107 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... Parks Canada is a Canadian government agency whose purpose is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canadas natural and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations. ... Motto: Together Aspire - Together Achieve Location in the province of Ontario, Canada Coordinates: , Country Province Incorporated June 9, 1846[1] Government  - Mayor Fred Eisenberger  - City Council Hamilton City Council  - MPs List of MPs Dean Allison Chris Charlton David Christopherson Wayne Marston David Sweet  - MPPs List of MPPs Sophia Aggelonitis Andrea... Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, either in terms of the space available, or in terms of limitations set by law. ... HMCS Haida (G-63) is the most famous ship in the Royal Canadian Navy, having sunk more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian ship. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... Patrick Bruce Metheny (born August 12, 1954 in Lees Summit, Missouri) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Teenage Head refers to both a band and an album. ...

Location and access

Ontario Place has vehicle access to Lake Shore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway. It is adjacent to the south of Exhibition Place where connections to TTC and GO Transit services are provided. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... View of the Gardiner Expressway, west of downtown Toronto, from the pedestrian overpass at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue. ... Looking East from the CNE Ferris Wheel (National Trade Centre at left, Automotive Building at right). ... The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is a public transport authority that operates buses, streetcars, subways, and rapid transit lines in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... // GO Transit (AAR reporting marks GOT), officially known as the Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GTTA), is Canadas first, and Ontarios only, interregional public transit system, established to link Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). ...

External links

Wikinews has related news:

Mixed success for Brampton Day at Ontario Place

• Ontario Place homepage

Coordinates: 43.628993° N 79.415048° W The following is partial list of the parks in the city of Toronto, Canada. ... This is a list of the oldest extant buildings and structures in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...