1. What was the first official name of the Canadian National Exhibition?
2. In what year was the first Canadian National Exhibition held?
3. What CNE building was used as a temporary morgue in 1947?
4. What is the oldest existing building on the grounds?
5. Did Elvis or the Beatles ever play the CNE?

1. What was the first official name of the Canadian National Exhibition?

The first official name of the Canadian National Exhibition was the Toronto Industrial Exhibition. The name was informally changed to the Canadian National Exhibition in 1904 and then formally (legally) changed in 1912. In 1912, the governing body also changed its name from the Toronto Industrial Exhibition Association to the Canadian National Exhibition Association.

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2. In what year was the first Canadian National Exhibition held?

The first CNE (or Toronto Industrial Exhibition) was held in 1879. A year before, in 1878, the Provincial Agricultural Fair was held on what was to become the CNE grounds, or Exhibition Place. But the Provincial Agricultural Fair moved each year to a different town or city, and in 1879, Ottawa was chosen as host by the Board of Directors of the Provincial Agricultural Fair. The City of Toronto decided to hold its own annual fair, and the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, or CNE, was born.

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3. What CNE building was used as a temporary morgue in 1949?

The Horticulture Building became a temporary morgue in 1949 following a fire aboard the Canadian liner, Noronic, while docked in Toronto. Over 100 passengers were killed in the fire and the Horticulture Building was used to house the dead until next-of-kin could identify the bodies and make arrangements for burial.

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4. What is the oldest existing building on the grounds?

The oldest building on the grounds is the Scadding Cabin, located to the west of the Bandshell. The Scadding Cabin was built in 1794 for John Scadding who accompanied Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe to Upper Canada in 1792. In 1879, the York Pioneer Historical Society moved the Scadding Cabin to the CNE grounds from the east bank of the Don River. The Society is still responsible for the operation of the cabin. The move was part of the celebrations marking the inauguration of the Toronto Industrial Exhibition (CNE). In 1986, the cabin was designated as historically significant under the Ontario Heritage Act.

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The oldest exhibition building is the Press Building, constructed in 1905. This structure was originally named the Administrative Building and housed the offices of the CNE Association from 1905 unitl 1957. The offices moved to the Queen Elizabeth Building in 1957 and the Press Building became the headquarters for the media during the annual CNE. Currently, the building is again home to staff of the CNE.

The Press Building is one of five existing CNE buildings designed by renowned architect G.W. Gouinlock. Other Gouinlock buildings include: the Horticulture Building (1907), Music Building (1907), Medieval Times (1912), and the Firehall/Police Station (1912). These structures have all been recognized as significant examples of early exhibition architecture. In 1991 a plaque dedicated to Gouinlock's CNE buildings was erected in front of the Press Building.

5. Did Elvis or the Beatles ever play at the CNE Grandstand?

No. Given the impressive line-up at the CNE Grandstand over the years, it almost seems unusual that Elvis and the Beatles did not play the CNE. The fact that they did not may have something to do with the time of year when they visited Toronto - always in colder months when the CNE wasn't open.

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