Arena Gardens
| Arena Gardens The Arena |
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| Former names | Arena Gardens (name at opening) |
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| Location | 68–88 Mutual Street, Toronto, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 43°39′21″N 79°22′32″W / 43.65583°N 79.37556°WCoordinates: 43°39′21″N 79°22′32″W / 43.65583°N 79.37556°W |
| Owner | The Arena Gardens of Toronto, Limited |
| Capacity | seated: 6,000 standing: 7,500 (hockey) |
| Surface | mechanically-frozen ice |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Demolished | 1989 |
| Construction cost | $500,000 CDN |
| Architect | Ross and McFarlane of Montreal |
| General contractor | Peter Lyall & Sons Limited |
| Tenants | |
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Toronto Tecumsehs (NHA) (1912-1913) Toronto Blueshirts (NHA) (1912-1917) Toronto Ontarios (NHA) (1913-1914) Toronto Shamrocks (NHA) (1914-1915) Toronto Aura Lee, (OHA) (1916-1926) Toronto 228th Battalion (NHA) (1916-1917) Torontos/Toronto Arenas/St. Pats/Maple Leafs (NHL) (1917-1931) Toronto Marlboros (1926-1931) Toronto Falcons (IHL) (1929-1930) Toronto Maple Leafs (ILL) (1931) |
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Mutual Street Arena, initially called Arena Gardens or just the Arena, was an ice hockey arena and sports and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From the time period of 1912 until 1931, with the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens, it was the premier site of ice hockey in Toronto, being home to teams from the National Hockey Association (NHA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the International Hockey League (IHL). It was the first home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who played at the arena under various names for their first 13½ seasons. The Arena Gardens was the third rink in Canada to feature a mechanically frozen or 'artificial' ice surface, and for eleven years was the only such facility in eastern Canada. In 1923, it was the site of the first radio broadcast of an ice hockey game, the first radio broadcast of an NHL game, and the first broadcast of an ice hockey game by long-time broadcaster Foster Hewitt.
The Arena was also used for musical concerts, gatherings and other sporting events, including professional boxing, cycling, wrestling and tennis. In 1962, it was later converted to a curling club and roller skating rink known as The Terrace. The building was demolished in 1989 and the Cathedral Square residential complex and Arena Gardens municipal park now occupy the site. It was located on Mutual Street, just south of Dundas Street East and one block east of Church Street in downtown Toronto.
It was constructed for a reported cost of $500,000 and opened in 1912. It was built on the site of the Mutual Street Rink, used primarily for curling and ice skating between Dundas Street East and Shuter Street. At the time, it was billed as the largest indoor arena in Canada and held about 7,500 for hockey. The rink was owned by the Toronto Arena Company, organized September 19, 1911 with Sir Henry Pellatt as president, Lol Solman as managing director, and directors Aemilius Jarvis, Joseph Kilgour, T.W. Horn, R.A. Smith, and Col. Carlson. There were two other directors from Montreal. W. J. Bellingham was the initial manager.
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