Rogers Centre interior now being demolished just like the hopes of Blue Jays fans
The Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason hopes came to an abrupt end on October 4, and it didn’t take long after playoff fever came crashing down for wrecking crews to descend on the Rogers Centre to launch the next round of upgrades for the hulking domed behemoth of despair.
Just one day after the Jays sulked away from their third consecutive winless postseason, dropping their AL Wild Card series against the Minnesota Twins, construction fencing was spotted along the south side of the stadium as PCL construction crews mobilized for the second phase of the stadium’s $300 million multi-year renovation.
Construction fencing spotted at the south end of the Rogers Centre on October 5. (Greg Lipinski)
Crews didn’t even wait for fans’ collective tears to dry before launching into action, rapidly tearing out entire sections of seating from the stadium’s lower bowl, ensuring that they will never again absorb the Loonie Dog flatulence of dejected fans bearing witness to the franchise’s crushed ambitions.
On Thursday, Blue Jays fan account @TBJLive on X captured some of the first images of the Rogers Centre interior since the hasty launch of construction, showing impressive progress on 100 Level seat removal in the little over a week since the Jays’ season fell flat.
PHASE 2 RENOVATION THREAD: Stay tuned throughout the off-season as the new 100-Level takes shape. #TBJLive #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/621eepn3hy
— TBJ Live (@TBJLive) October 12, 2023
The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled details of the second phase of renovations to the public back in July, just days after intrepid fans spotted previews of a reconfigured lower bowl in 2024 seating charts and correctly surmised the nature of the upcoming announcement.
Over the course of the off-season, crews will demolish and reconstruct the stadium’s lower bowl in what will mark the single-largest change to the stadium’s seating configuration since opening in 1989.
Once the entirety of the Rogers Centre’s 100-level seating is removed, crews will demolish its underlying structure.
The lower bowl structure stretching from foul pole to foul pole will then be rebuilt from the foundation up, bringing fans closer to the action for what the organization describes as a “modern ballpark experience designed specifically for baseball viewing.”
Toronto Blue Jays reveal the next round of Rogers Centre upgrades #Toronto #RogersCentre #Canada #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/sSXHjvwboB
— blogTO (@blogTO) July 31, 2023
Like the new 500 Level seating introduced the previous off-season, new 100 Level seating will offer fans added legroom, chairs with slatted backs for better airflow and less disgusting back sweat, adjustable armrests, handrails at every aisle, and cup holders.
The current round of renovations follows an initial phase in the (similarly abrupt) 2023 off-season, when the entire 500 Level underwent modifications, including the replacement of seats, along with the addition of the Outfield District social spaces, new raised bullpens, and reconfigured outfield walls.
The current phase of renovations will be complete in time for the Jays’ home opener in April.
However, many fans have pledged to boycott games in the wake of a disastrous press conference that offered the fanbase nothing in the way of assurances that anything — besides the stadium — would change next season.
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