When visiting Fort York I toured the inside of the visitor's centre too and they have a wonderful collection of old posters and signs on display. I particularly liked these ads for buying Victory Bonds.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
I showed you the visitor's centre from Fort York a couple of weeks ago and since then I visited the fort itself on a cold sunny Sunday. The fort has a fine collection of old buildings and this is one of the best, the stone magazine, built in 1815, which was used to store 800 barrels of gunpowder. Its walls are 2 metres thick and inside there is a wonderful vaulted ceiling. All the fixtures are copper which is spark-proof and a simple mechanical ventilation system kept everything dry. Isn't it beautiful?
This steel & resin sculpture by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland is titled "Monument To The War Of 1812" and it is suitably located about a block from Fort York. It was installed in 2008 in front of a condominium complex as part of the city's art requirement for new development. The "two abandoned toy soldiers pay tribute to Toronto's history" and Fort York's part in the Canadian victory in the war of 1812.
This shot is taken along the walkway into the Fort York visitor centre which I showed you a couple of days ago. You can see a bit of the steel wall of the centre off to the left of these large supports for the Gardiner Expressway which runs overhead along our lakeshore. This area has always been rather derelict and unused but now the centre has planted grasses and put in pathways leading up to the fort and while I was there you could see people actually walking through here. It's a good thing!
This is the entrance to yesterday's visitor centre at Fort York. It is made to look as if a couple of the steel panels have just been swiveled up to form an awning over the doors. The workmanship in this whole structure is wonderful to see even down to the concrete walkways. It will be fabulous when those newly planted grasses grow up.
This is the front wall of the new visitor centre at Fort York where you find out all kinds of info about the fort before entering into it. It was designed by Patkau Architects Inc & Kearns Mancini Architects Inc and the Corten steel gives it a contemporary vibe while at the same time referencing the defensive setting of the fort behind it. That structure to the right is the Gardiner Expressway which is an elevated roadway running along our waterfront. More pics to come for a couple of days.
This sign marks the entrance to the newly completed visitor centre at Fort York which is located right in downtown Toronto. The fort was built in 1793 but is most famous for defending the city during the War Of 1812 and has Canada's largest collection of buildings from that time. I'll show you a few pics of the visitor centre over the next few days.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.
