A cattle barn turned into a hockey arena
The Coca-Cola Coliseum
Built in 1922 as a livestock arena for the CNE's agricultural exhibitions, the Coliseum was reconfigured for hockey in the 2000s and became home to the Toronto Marlies.
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The building now known as the Coca-Cola Coliseum opened in 1922 at Exhibition Place as the Coliseum, a large livestock arena built to host cattle and horse shows as part of the CNE's agricultural exhibitions, a major component of the fair in an era when Ontario's farming industry still had a prominent civic presence. For decades it served that original agricultural-exhibition purpose alongside occasional use for other large indoor events.
From cattle barn to hockey rink
The building underwent a major renovation in the early 2000s that reconfigured it as a modern hockey arena, and it became the home rink of the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate, after the team relocated to Toronto in 2005. Renamed multiple times through different naming-rights sponsorships, including as the Ricoh Coliseum before its current Coca-Cola branding, the building's journey from agricultural show barn to professional hockey venue reflects the broader evolution of the CNE grounds away from their original agricultural-fair purpose.
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