Fort York (neighbourhood)
Encyclopedia
The Fort York neighbourhood, also known as Garrison, in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
is located along and south of CN
and CP
railway corridors. The area is formerly known as the Bathurst/Strachan Area and consists of eight-hectares (20-acres) of remediated brownfield sites.
site where Toronto began in 1793. The current Fort York Armoury
was built in 1933, and still houses several units of the Canadian Forces
. The neighbourhood is one of Toronto's most historically and cultural sensitive areas, and was the location of the lakeside Toronto Molson
brewery before it was demolished in 2006.
The Fort York Neighbourhood Public Realm Plan is the next step in the planning and design for the Fort York Neighbourhood. The area's redevelopment plan was finalized in 2005, and establishes guidelines for an overall vision of the emerging neighbourhood. It set out the location of public spaces, density, height and built form so that the area's streetscapes, open spaces, parks and pedestrian areas are interconnected with private development.
In recent years, it has seen an explosion of new condominium
loft
and row house
development. The area is located close to the Fashion and Entertainment districts. Significant high-rise development has taken place within the Fort York Neighbourhood, south of the Gardiner Expressway
between Fort York Blvd. and Fleet Street.
Some of the main roads in the neighbourhood include:
is served by the 509 Harbourfront
streetcar
, which operates between Union and Exhibition Place
running along a private right-of-way on Queens Quay
west to Bathurst and then along Fleet Street. In 2008, the Fleet Street portion of Route 509 was converted to a ROW. Streetcar track and overhead power line were also installed at the Fleet loop, which is located at the Fleet Street Lighthouse
.
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...
is located along and south of CN
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
and CP
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
railway corridors. The area is formerly known as the Bathurst/Strachan Area and consists of eight-hectares (20-acres) of remediated brownfield sites.
History
The neighbourhood area consists of the former industrial lands immediately east and south of the historic Fort YorkFort York
Fort York is a historic site of military fortifications and related buildings on the west side of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was built by the British Army and Canadian militia troops in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, to defend the settlement and the new capital of the...
site where Toronto began in 1793. The current Fort York Armoury
Fort York Armoury
Fort York Armoury is a Canadian Forces facility located near the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Fleet Street and Fort York Blvd, close to the historic Fort York site in the neighbourhood of Fort York...
was built in 1933, and still houses several units of the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. The neighbourhood is one of Toronto's most historically and cultural sensitive areas, and was the location of the lakeside Toronto Molson
Molson
Molson-Coors Canada Inc. is the Canadian division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It is the second oldest company in Canada after the Hudson's Bay Company. Molson's first brewery was located on the St...
brewery before it was demolished in 2006.
The Fort York Neighbourhood Public Realm Plan is the next step in the planning and design for the Fort York Neighbourhood. The area's redevelopment plan was finalized in 2005, and establishes guidelines for an overall vision of the emerging neighbourhood. It set out the location of public spaces, density, height and built form so that the area's streetscapes, open spaces, parks and pedestrian areas are interconnected with private development.
Development
A 38-storey residential tower and 7- to 12- storey podium building was constructed in 2005 at the west end of the neighbourhood, at the corner of Fleet Street and the recently completed Fort York Boulevard. This was the first element of the planned redevelopment of the site into a mixed-use community, including 12 residential towers, podium buildings and stacked townhouses, with grade-level retail and commercial uses. The neighbourhood eventually house an estimated 6000 units within the area north of Lakeshore Boulevard, south of Fort York Boulevard between Strachan Avenue and Dan Leckie Way (an extension of Portland Street).In recent years, it has seen an explosion of new 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...
loft
Loft
A loft can be an upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof. Alternatively, a loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use from some other use, often light industrial...
and row house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
development. The area is located close to the Fashion and Entertainment districts. Significant high-rise development has taken place within the Fort York Neighbourhood, south of the Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
between Fort York Blvd. and Fleet Street.
Some of the main roads in the neighbourhood include:
- Bathurst Street
- Fleet StreetFleet StreetFleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
- Lake Shore Boulevard
- Fort York Boulevard
- Gardiner ExpresswayGardiner ExpresswayThe Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
Public transportation
The HarbourfrontHarbourfront
Harbourfront is a neighbourhood on the northern shore of Lake Ontario within the downtown core of the city of Toronto, Canada. Part of the Toronto Waterfront, Harbourfront extends west from Yonge Street to Bathurst Street along Queen's Quay. East of Yonge to Parliament St...
is served by the 509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront
509 Harbourfront is a streetcar route in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission.-History:The Harbourfront LRT, originally designated 604 Harbourfront, began service in 1990...
streetcar
Toronto streetcar system
The Toronto streetcar system comprises eleven streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission , and is the largest such system in the Americas in terms of ridership, number of cars, and track length. The network is concentrated primarily in downtown and in...
, which operates between Union and Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial,...
running along a private right-of-way on Queens Quay
Queen's Quay (Toronto)
Queen's Quay is a prominent street in the Harbourfront neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street was originally commercial in nature due to the many working piers along the waterfront...
west to Bathurst and then along Fleet Street. In 2008, the Fleet Street portion of Route 509 was converted to a ROW. Streetcar track and overhead power line were also installed at the Fleet loop, which is located at the Fleet Street Lighthouse
Fleet Street Lighthouse
The Queen's Wharf Lighthouse is located at Fleet Street just east of the Princes' Gates at the Exhibition Place Grounds in Toronto. The octagonal building was originally part of a pair of lighthouses built in 1861 at Queen's Wharf, replacing an earlier lighthouse originally built in 1838...
.