.gif)
Bessarion (TTC)
Encyclopedia
Bessarion is a station on the Sheppard line of the subway/RT system
in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is located at 701 Sheppard Avenue
East at Bessarion Road and Burbank Drive, and was opened in 2002. The station is, , the second least-used in the TTC’s subway network (after Ellesmere
). As there are no commuter parking spaces at the station most commuters to the station arrive by bus, are dropped off or walk from nearby residences.
When the site was excavated the soil was found to be contaminated with various levels of hydrocarbons. This was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the subway station. A large-scale condominium
and townhouse
project was also constructed on the former Canadian Tire
warehouse site that adjoins the station; the decision to build the station was partly due to the expectation that it would become an important selling feature for these housing units.
in the station, by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger
, is a frieze
of hands, feet, and backs of heads, which represent the users of the station. The feet images appear on the concourse level while the heads appear on the platform level. The hands images appear along the stairs between the Sheppard Avenue North Side entrance/exit and the concourse.
Toronto subway and RT
The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located at 701 Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue is an east-west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A small portion of a continuation of the road in Pickering, Ontario is also called Sheppard Avenue.-History:...
East at Bessarion Road and Burbank Drive, and was opened in 2002. The station is, , the second least-used in the TTC’s subway network (after Ellesmere
Ellesmere (TTC)
Ellesmere is a station on the Scarborough Rapid Transit line of the subway/RT system of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 1025 Ellesmere Road, between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue. It was opened in 1985....
). As there are no commuter parking spaces at the station most commuters to the station arrive by bus, are dropped off or walk from nearby residences.
History
Bessarion opened in 2002, in the first phase of the Sheppard line. The station is one of the stations originally planned for the Sheppard line. Due to budget overruns during which had come up on several occasions there were many suggestions to remove it from the original plan. When the question was raised a last time in 1998, it was finally decided that the station should be built, because it was in a prime redevelopment area.When the site was excavated the soil was found to be contaminated with various levels of hydrocarbons. This was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the subway station. A large-scale condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
and townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
project was also constructed on the former Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
warehouse site that adjoins the station; the decision to build the station was partly due to the expectation that it would become an important selling feature for these housing units.
Public art
The public artPublic art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
in the station, by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger
Sylvie Bélanger
Sylvie Bélanger is an interdisciplinary artist using sound, video, photography and installation. Bélanger received an MFA from York University, a BFA from Concordia University and a Baccalauréat in Philosophy of Religion from Université de Montréal. She lives and works in Toronto and is an...
, is a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
of hands, feet, and backs of heads, which represent the users of the station. The feet images appear on the concourse level while the heads appear on the platform level. The hands images appear along the stairs between the Sheppard Avenue North Side entrance/exit and the concourse.
Surface connections
There are no off street bus platforms at this station and connecting service is available at the bus stops on Sheppard Avenue with a valid transfer.- 85 Sheppard East
- 85 - eastbound to Meadowvale, westbound to Sheppard-Yonge stationSheppard-Yonge (TTC)Sheppard-Yonge is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Sheppard lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the third busiest subway station in the system, after Bloor-Yonge, and St...
- 85B - eastbound to Toronto ZooToronto ZooThe Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened August 15, 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word "Metropolitan" was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto were amalgamated to form the...
, westbound to Sheppard-Yonge - 85H - eastbound to Rouge Hill GO Station via Toronto Zoo, westbound to Sheppard-Yonge
- 85J - eastbound to Don Mills stationDon Mills (TTC)Don Mills is the eastern terminus station of the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is also a "Vivastation" on the Viva Green line of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit system...
, westbound to Sheppard-Yonge