When it opened in 1989, the SkyDome was both the first and last of its kind.

Hailed as a marvel of modern technology and design, it was the first stadium with a fully retractable roof and was celebrated as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” But it was also the last stadium in North America built to accommodate both baseball and football, signalling the end to an era of such outsized sports monuments.

Just a few years after the Blue Jays moved in, trends in ballpark design shifted from the colossal to the classic, beginning in 1992 with Baltimore’s Camden Yards. Nearly a quarter century later, architects continue to emulate Camden, while the Dome, known today as the Rogers Centre, stands as the proverbial white elephant, a concrete fortress that is tolerated but rarely enjoyed. It consistently ranks at or near the bottom any time Major League Baseball’s 30 parks are ranked.

But the Dome isn’t going anywhere.

“It’s like the Coliseum,” says Graeme Stewart, an associate with Toronto’s ERA Architects. “When aliens land in Toronto in 1,000 years, the SkyDome will still be there.”

Besides, you wouldn’t want to tear it down. It’s only 26-years-old and the location is ideal, to say nothing of the astronomical costs of demolition. But the Jays know it needs to be improved. Team president Paul Beeston said last month the building could use between $200 and $400 million in upgrades.

The biggest change is already underway, with the scheduled installation of natural grass in time for the 2018 season. That will transition the Rogers Centre from being a multipurpose stadium — which plays host not only to baseball and football, but also concerts, monster truck rallies and ice capades — to a building that is primarily a ballpark.

“Baseball is a very different sport than, say, football,” said Joe Spear, the Kansas City-based architect who designed Camden Yards, as well as several other beloved ballparks, including San Francisco’s AT&T Park, Cleveland’s Progressive Field and San Diego’s Petco Park.

“I think it’s highly appropriate for a football field to be monumental and imposing, because that’s the game of football. Football is a game of intimidation; baseball is a game of finesse.”

When the San Francisco Giants considered reorienting Spear’s stadium design away from McCovey’s Cove, Spear fought hard to keep the view.

“I told them, ‘I think there’s magic in the water.’”

Baseball’s relaxed pace necessitated a contemplative view, such as the boats bobbing on the water and the Bay Bridge in the distance, Spear said.

“There’s something mystical about it.”

The Rogers Centre can’t move any closer to Lake Ontario, but it could do more to make it feel less gloomy and cavernous

Spear declined to say what he would do to improve the Rogers Centre, but Stewart obliged. The 2014 recipient of the Jane Jacobs Prize — awarded to those who contribute to the fabric of Toronto and named after the noted urbanist — has some experience trying to make the most of dated designs.

He received the award for his inventive work on the Tower Renewal Project, which aimed to retrofit and reimagine Toronto’s large stock of suburban highrises — the most of any city in North America — as vibrant, desirable and engaged communities.

So we asked Stewart what he would do if the Jays handed him a cheque for $400 million and put him to work. He identified three main areas to improve: the public space around the stadium, the drab concourse and the inflexibility of the seating area.

First, Stewart said he would make a major investment in the area around the Rogers Centre to make it a destination in its own right, whether or not you have a ticket to the game. Beer gardens, open-air restaurants, public TV screens — anything to make it a fun place to hang out. While it was initially built in the middle of a bunch of railway tracks, a deserted waterfront and “abandoned, scorched earth,” the Dome is now part of a dense neighbourhood, Stewart says.

“It’s in such a great location to vibe off of that, but if you go around it it’s a fortress.”

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Next, he would do something with the Rogers Centre’s concourse, which is completely cut off from the game.

“You might as well be underground,” Stewart said, pointing out that in new stadiums you can “meander” around the ballpark while still experiencing the game. He would try to find a way to reconnect the concessions and open up the internal part of the stadium.

Lastly, Stewart would rip out 12,000 to 15,000 of the stadium’s 50,000 seats in order to create “flexible spaces” where fans can hang out away from their seats and enjoy the game in a different way. The Jays are already trying things like this. Two years ago, the Windows Restaurant was replaced with a general admission standing-room area in centre field, which is regularly full of spectators who prefer the patio-like vibe to their regular seats. Stewart would like to see more, such as putting concessions in the stands and creating “crash pads” for fans.

Despite its flaws, Stewart is still a fan of the Rogers Centre.

“It’s still an amazing technical achievement,” he said. “I have no problem with the fact that we have this big monumental thing. We just need to find a way to use it and find a way to love it again.”