Tucked-behind the cornerstone of one of Canada’s most storied buildings was an object that few knew about — until now. The contents of a 1931 time capsule found inside the walls of Maple Leaf Gardens were revealed on Jan. 26. It includes including a letter describing the design and construction details of the new arena.
The time capsule was found by a masonry company during the renovations of the Maple Leaf Gardens into a Loblaw grocery store and an athletic centre for Ryerson University. It was found behind the 1931 cornerstone at the corner of Church and Carlton streets.
The time capsule, a handmade copper box measuring 30 centimeters by 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters, has no external markings or writing. The inside of the lid is hand-engraved, “M.B. Campbell 124 Lindsay Ave 21/9/31”.
“Maple Leaf Gardens holds a lot of special memories for millions of Canadians and, it turns out, it also held a few surprises from 1931 that were just waiting to be found,” said Sheldon Levy, president of Ryerson University in a news release. “We are thrilled to share the contents of the time capsule with all Canadians.”
Once the time capsule was uncovered, it was removed by heritage architects and sent on to a fine art appraisal company for evaluation, appraisal and safe keeping.
The time capsule revealed a dozen items that were enclosed on Sept. 21, 1931, including a four-page, typed letter from the directors of Maple Leaf Gardens describing the design and construction details of the new arena and an ivory elephant.
After much research and discussion with experts, it is not certain as to why the elephant was included Loblaw and Ryerson University are asking the public for insight into the mysterious ivory elephant and for suggestions as to what to include in a time capsule that will be placed inside The Peter Gilgan Athletic Centre at the Gardens later this summer. The public can make suggestions by tweeting @RyersonNews or visiting Ryerson’s Facebook page.
The letter from the directors of Maple Leaf Gardens includes insights into the building such as:
“By careful consideration of the design all posts or columns are located in the walls of the building so that they do not interfere in the slightest degree with the view from any seat in the Arena.”
“The General Contract for the construction of the building was let to Thomson Bros., Limited, on May 29th, 1931, and the first game is to be played in the building, November 12th, 1931.”
The capsule, now jointly owned by Ryerson University and Loblaw, will be kept in a safe storage facility until a permanent display is created.
Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens opened on Nov. 30, 2011.
The contents in the time capsule also included:
• a stock prospectus for Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd.
• four newspapers from Sept. 21, 1931 including the Toronto Daily Star, The Globe, The Mail and Empire and The Evening Telegram;
• a 1930-31 Official Rule Book of the National Hockey League;
• a 1931 Official Hockey Rules of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association;
• a 1930 Ontario Hockey Association Rules;
• a 1931 Toronto Municipal Handbook; and
• a Red Ensign flag.
DCN NEWS SERVICES
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