Maple Leaf Gardens gets a steel makeover

When Thomson Brothers Construction of Port Credit, Ont. built Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931, the project was worth $990,000—not including the steel work, which added $100,000 to the contract.

Looking at the state of the structural steel today, in a stripped-down Gardens awaiting conversion to a new rink and grocery store, it was $100,000 well spent.

“The original steel is in really good shape,” said Russell Fleischer, a principal with Turner Fleischer Architects in Toronto, working for Loblaw Companies Limited, which is co-developing the building with Ryerson University.

“We might have to do a little reinforcing of the roof trusses, but only because snow load requirements have changed since the Gardens was built.”

The trusses were built using a novel design in which one steel arch is fixed and the other three are movable.

“That’s an incredible coincidence, because Michael Butt, the CEO of Buttcon, the general contractor on the job, wrote his U of T thesis on the roof structure of Maple Leaf Gardens,” said Fleischer.

“When that structure went up in its day, it was probably as exciting as the Skydome going up.”

The steel roof trusses exist entirely within the future Ryerson space, which will see the rink elevated above the 70,000-square-foot Loblaw supermarket on the lower floors.

“Right now the building is just an open and light structure revealing the large steel trusses and joists,” said Greg Alexander, Design Partner with Toronto’s BBB Architects.

It is the company responsible for converting the upper section of the Gardens into a new hockey rink on behalf of Ryerson.

“Now that all of the soggy, dark grey sound baffling material has been removed, it’s really quite elegant,” he said.

The new NHL-sized concrete ice rink slab will be built two floors above street level and will feature a network of pipes carrying cold brine through the pre-cast structure.

The slab won’t be supported by steel, but by concrete columns, said Alexander.

The 20-foot-deep trusses that support the Gardens’ famous dome will be located much closer to the new seating area.

The architect is considering replicating the original gold, red and blue colour scheme of the seating area, and perhaps incorporating some original seats.

This time, acoustic treatment for the new rink and arena won’t cover up the historic steel work.

“We have an acoustic consultant on our team who is currently looking at all of the issues of sound,” said Chris O’Reilly, Design Partner in Charge, with BBB.

“They will analyze the possible transmission of sound from Ryerson space into Loblaws space, as well as through the dome and exterior walls to the surrounding residential area.”

The stands of the Gardens are made of concrete, which forms a part of the wall support system.

Now that the seating is being removed to make way for retail space, steel is also being used as temporary bracing until new concrete floors are poured and other support systems are installed.

Construction crews have removed the higher-level seating on the north and south ends of the complex to make way for the steel trusses.

“The blues and boxes weren’t there originally, so they weren’t part of the structural support,” said Fleischer.

“We’re installing a steel truss 20 feet wide by 16 feet high and extending from end to end of the building about 200 feet. Once that’s fully installed we can remove the stands below it.”

The truss work is being handled by the Niagara Rigging & Erecting Company of Niagara On The Lake and the Pittsburgh Steel Group of Vaughan, Ont.

Workers have removed and preserved the handprint of former Leafs owner Harold Ballard pressed into the concrete at centre ice—and a few items made of steel, said Onofrio Marcello, senior director, Loblaw Properties.

“We’re hoping to re-use the original steel safe from the Gardens’ cash office,” he said.

“It’s catalogued and in storage right now.”

The $60-million project is scheduled to open in 2011.