HomeCNE & Exhibition Place – Past & Present

CNE & Exhibition Place – Past & Present

2022 - Looking north towards the Administration/Press Building at Toronto's Exhibition Place. Built in 1904, the Beaux-Arts style building was designed by architect George Wallace Gouinlock. The old "ADMINISTRATION" sign (below the clock) was behind the former "PRESS" sign and was uncovered in 2022

Administration/Press Building – The Beaux-Arts Gem at Exhibition Place

1962 - Shirley Blatchford and Margaret Hintenseer emerging from Lake Ontario in an Amphicar after successfully crossing from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the CNE grounds

Amphicar that Cruised from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the CNE

August 18, 2021 - Looking southeast from the Princess Margaret Fountain at Princes’ Blvd and Manitoba Dr towards the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place

Better Living Centre – The Curved, Modernist Building at Exhibition Place

2010s - CF Snowbirds at the Canadian International Air Show

Canadian International Air Show – Thrilling Aerobatic Performances

2022 - Carillon Tower, originally the Carlsberg Carillon, is located in Bandshell Park at Exhibition Place in Toronto. The structure was presented to the CNE in 1974 by Carling-O’Keefe Breweries

Carillon Tower – The 50-Bell Musical Instrument at Exhibition Place

2022 – Looking southeast towards CNE sign and The Princes’ Gates from inside Exhibition Place. The Ex reopened after a two-year pandemic hiatus

CNE & Exhibition Place – Part of Toronto’s History for Over...

1980s - ColecoVision video game exhibit at The Ex. In the early 1980s, ColecoVision was one of the hottest second-generation home video-game consoles. Popular games included Donkey Kong and Lady Bug

CNE Exhibits – Promoting Growth of Agriculture, Industry & the Arts

Fashion and fun at the CNE & Princes' Gates

CNE Fashion – From Elegant Tea Dresses to Funky Go-Go Boots

August 12, 1930 – The Canadian National Exhibition flagpole raising with the former Transportation Building in the background

CNE Flagpole – Once in Bandshell Park at Exhibition Place

1970s - Enjoying cotton candy and sno cones on The Midway. Notice the fashion of the decade - jean cut-offs and plaid high-waisted bell-bottom pants

CNE Food – Classic Treats & Outrageous Foods We Crave at...

1960s - Winning a Mister Panda stuffed toy on The Midway

CNE Games – A Look Along The Midway of the Past...

1954 - The Striporama tent on The Midway. "Girlie" shows ran at The CNE Midway until 1962. In a 1963 local newspaper article, Patty Conklin said it was economics and not moral pressure that stopped the attraction

CNE Midway Sideshows – Step Right Up!

1955 – Canadian National Exhibition program cover showing a family, and the program price of 35¢

CNE Program Covers & Posters – Vintage Ads from the Exhibition

1970s - Enjoying the CHUM Wild Cat ride. It was a German-variety coaster with 4-passenger cars that travelled alone on the 560 m track. It took over 30 employees who accompanied the ride from fair to fair, about a week to assemble the 2,000 pieces Wild Cat

CNE Rides – Explore The Midway of Yesterday & Today

2021 – Looking southwest towards the north entrance of the Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place in Toronto. City architect, George FW Price, designed the massive two-storey, yellow brick building

Coliseum Complex at Exhibition Place – An Agricultural Showplace

1884 - The Crystal Palace was once located at Exhibition grounds. The beautiful building faced Lake Ontario and stood where the Horticulture Building stands today

Crystal Palace – The Beautiful & Ornate Building Once at the...

July 4, 2019 - Looking north towards the Dufferin Gate

Dufferin Gate – Toronto’s Retro Parabolic Archway to Exhibition Place

Exhibition Stadium & Grandstand in Toronto

Exhibition Stadium & Grandstand – Hosted Legendary Concerts & Events

2023 - Looking north in Lot 2 at Exhibition Place from the home plate stone marker for the former Exhibition Stadium baseball diamond with BMO Field in the background

Exhibition Stadium Baseball Diamond Plaques – Running the Bases

1962 – Two kids looking at the Ferris Wheel on the CNE midway

Ferris Wheels at the CNE – Discover the History of this...

2023 - The "FLYER" sign on display during the CNE, near the Princess Margaret Fountain on Princes' Blvd

Flyer Roller Coaster – Thrilled Over 9 Million Riders at the...

1962 - A young woman in a Navy uniform is seated in the "O" of the Food Building sign, holding a donut. Her hat reads, "HMCS Shelburne." There is also a sign on the second floor of the building that says, "Please do not eat lunches here"

Food Building – A Taste Destination for Over 1 Million CNE...

2022 - Looking southwest towards the Fort Rouillé Monument at Exhibition Place. The Scadding Cabin and the wind turbine are in the background

Fort Rouillé Monument – The French Trading Post Once on Exhibition...

2023 – THE TRITON “He ruled the seas and by blowing on his conch shell could either stir up the waves or calm a storm.”

Garden of the Greek Gods – Stone Sculptures at Exhibition Place

1884 - Looking southwest towards the Officers' Quarters in the New Fort. The limestone structure was built in 1841, and we know it today as the Stanley Barracks at Exhibition Place. There have been reports of paranormal activity in the historic building

Ghosts of Exhibition Place in Toronto

1920s – The Gooderham Fountain was once located at Exhibition grounds. It sat on an octagonal base ringed by a pool. The fountain's smaller upper basin was inverted and decorated with scales. When water sprouted from the top over the scales, the water would shatter, spray and sparkle before falling into the larger lower basin and into the pool below. Notice the former Graphic Arts & Photography Building in the background

Gooderham Fountain – Meet me at the Fountain!

2023 – One of 18 granite benches commemorating historical places and events at the CNE and Exhibition Place, this one featuring the Flyer roller coaster. They were designed by Toronto-based artist Stephen Cruise and installed in 2007. The granite was salvaged from the former Hockey Hall of Fame/Canada's Sports Hall of Fame building once at Exhibition grounds. The benches are located around the perimeter of BMO Field and outside of the Automotive Building

Granite Benches – Honouring Historic Places & Events at Exhibition Place

Between 1961 and 1971 – The Hockey Hall of Fame was once located directly across from the Food Building at Exhibition Place. Notice inside the entrance the "Face-Off" mural by Canadian artist Ronald Satok. The mural and entrance have been preserved at Gate 5 of BMO Field

Hockey Hall of Fame – Once at Exhibition Place

2021 – The Horse Palace is located at 15 Nova Scotia Ave at Exhibition Place. Built in 1931, architect John James Woolnough designed the Art Deco-style structure. The building received heritage status from the city in 1979. The facility is used annually for the CNE and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The Horse Palace is also home to Toronto Police Service Mounted Unit along with a riding school

Horse Palace – The Equestrian Art Deco Temple at Exhibition Place

Circa 1965 - A postcard of the Horticulture Building at the CNE. Opening for the 1907 Exhibition, the pavilion was designed to display flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables

Horticulture Building – The Elegant Pavilion at Exhibition Place

1890s - The Crystal Palace was once located where the Horticulture Building stands today on Saskatchewan Rd, between Dufferin St and Princes’ Blvd. The history of the Crystal Palace dates back to 1858 when the thirteenth Provincial Agricultural Exhibition was held in Toronto. Sir Collingwood Schreiber and Sir Sandford designed a grand structure made of iron, glass, and wood for the fair, which stood north of King St W, west of Shaw St. In 1878, the new larger exhibition site was chosen by the shores of Lake Ontario to permanently house the event - today's Exhibition Place. So the original Crystal Palace was dismantled and relocated to the site. The building was expanded with reconstruction designs by architects Stewart and Strickland and featured a main floor and two tiers of galleries crowned by a Baroque-styled cupola. The Crystal Palace was the primary exhibit building and the pride of Toronto's Industrial Exhibition. The beautiful building burned to the ground on Thanksgiving in 1906, and a year later, the Horticulture Building was built on the site

Lost Buildings at the CNE & Exhibition Place: A Glimpse into...

August 14, 2021 - The impressive south entrance of Liberty Grand is flanked by Corinthian columns and topped with a large central dome

Ontario Government Building – The Lakeside Gem at Exhibition Place

1929 - The Princes' Gates at the Exhibition grounds

Princes’ Gates – The Monumental Entrance to the CNE

August 27, 2022 – The two-tier Princess Margaret Fountain is located at Princes' Blvd and Manitoba Dr at Exhibition Place. It sits on a pedestal with terrazzo-covered steel supports under each tier. Water springs from the top of the fountain into a smaller basin. It then cascades into the larger lower basin before falling into the pool below

Princess Margaret Fountain – Exhibition Place’s Graceful Centrepiece

2025 - Rosie is the 2025 Royal Ambassador. Rosie is a six-year-old miniature donkey and the first donkey ever chosen as The Royal's Animal Ambassador. She lives on a small farm in Oshawa, owned by Zuri Barnes, where there are also horses, ponies, chickens, and sheep

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair – Country Comes to the City

2022 – Looking northwest towards the Scadding Cabin at the Exhibition Place during the CNE. The historic cabin was built in 1794

Scadding Cabin – Toronto’s Oldest Home & A Glimpse Into Pioneer...

Between 1955 and 1960s - Looking west on Princes' Blvd towards the Shell Oil Tower and the Flyer roller coaster once located at Exhibition Place. The contemporary tower was designed by architect George Robb and later became the Bulova Tower

Shell Oil/Bulova Tower – The Contemporary Landmark Once at The Ex

August 27, 2022 - The Shrine Peace Memorial on the south side of Exhibition Place. In 1958, the surrounding fountain and gardens were added. On the left is The Bandshell

Shrine Peace Memorial – A Beautiful Monument at Exhibition Place

2021 - Looking southwest towards Stanley Barracks and its heritage plaque at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Constructed in 1841 by the Royal Engineers, the building was part of the New Fort. In 1870, ownership of Fort York and the New Fort was transferred to the Dominion Government of Canada when the British Army permanently withdrew from the country

Stanley Barracks at Exhibition Place – A Glimpse into Toronto’s Military...

August 27, 2023 – LØLØ & MICO concert at the Bandshell during the Canadian National Exhibition

The Bandshell – Highlighting Musical Talent at the CNE

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