ONTARIO PLACE
Ontario Place is a multiple use entertainment and seasonal amusement park in Toronto, Canada. Located on the shore of Lake Ontario, just south of Exhibition Place, it is approximately 4 km west of downtown Toronto. Opening in 1971, it consists of three artificially constructed, landscaped islands. Attractions are spread throughout the park, as well as walking trails and food and drink concessions.
Traditionally targeted at a family audience, with emphasis on children's activities, the park has a seasonal operating schedule and is closed from October through April, with the exception of the Cinesphere IMAX theatre and private event space.
Central to the complex is a public marina and a major concert theatre. Historically, Ontario Place, as a publicly subsidized provincial agency, aims to keep costs, especially for families, lower than comparable attractions.
 BACKGROUND
Even as far back as the 1960s, Toronto was concerned about its waterfront. It had suffered through more than a century of intense industrialization which cut the city off from the lakefront. By the late 1960s, half a century of automobile-centric lakeside planning had made the Toronto waterfront an unappealing, heavily industrialized location, despite its obvious potential.
Ontario Place was conceived to help to revitalize the waterfront, attract tourists to Toronto, and in part, appease the City, which was frustrated at the high level of government investment that flowed to rival Montreal for Expo 67.
The park itself was originally conceived as an onshore exhibit, but this idea was discarded in favour of five large, architecturally unique, three-level Pods. Each Pod would be approximately 8,000 square feet in area, and suspended by steel cables from four large central pylons driven deep into the lake bed. These Pods would initially house various Ontario-themed exhibits in an aquatic setting somewhat similar in concept to Montreal's Expo 67 grounds (which were in the middle of the St. Lawrence River).
However, a difficult but unexpectedly useful problem developed. The cost of the open-water Pod foundations alone would consume almost the entire budget for the Pods' construction. Architect Eb Zeidler was faced with a dilemma: how to construct the Pods without the necessary budget.
Zeidler developed an innovative solution: after a trip to the Caribbean, he realized that a "barrier reef" concept would cut down on wave action from the lake enough to reduce the cost of the Pods' foundation to 1/10th of the original open-water estimate.
After some quarrels with the port authorities, the reef plan was modified to incorporate three artificial "barrier islands" made from city landfill. Ironically, the barrier islands were to be so well crafted, they became an integral part of the Ontario Place experience.
The children's village was designed by Eric MacMillan, the glass pagoda building was designed by Raymond Moriyama.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF ONTARIO PLACE
Ontario Place has rides and attractions, including the world's first permanent IMAX movie theatre: the Cinesphere.
- The Cinesphere is a geodesic dome-shaped structure which contains the theatre. It is similar in style to 'Spaceship Earth' at Epcot in Orlando Florida, except the latter is a complete sphere.
- The Molson Amphitheatre is a large open-air venue for larger-scale music concerts. Major acts like Judas Priest, R.E.M., Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Blue Rodeo, Coldplay, Jack Johnson and the Tragically Hip have all been featured in summer concerts at the site. Bryan Adams opened the facility in May 1995.
As well there are a host of activities and venues at Market Square and Soak City on the East Island, the GO Zone and Adventure Island on the West Island, and Marina Village in Center Island.
Retrieved from Wikipedia.org, the Free Encyclopedia
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