The Fort York Foundation / Fondation Fort York was established to solicit, receive, and maintain funds for the preservation, maintenance, enhancement, and promotion of Fort York National Historic Site. It is a tax-exempt registered charity (number 83248 2566 RR0001) under the Income Tax Act of Canada, registered in 2006 and designated as a public foundation.

The principal goal of the Foundation over the next few years is to raise $6 million, or roughly one third of the cost of a new Visitor Centre for Fort York National Historic Site. It is planned to open for the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, which will occur in 2012-14. The Foundation will continue to manage endowments into the fort's third century.

Fort York Invigorated

A revitalized Fort York will see:

• Restoration of Toronto's oldest collection of buildings (constructed 1813–15);
• Renewal of open space across the entire site, with interpretation of landscape for new generations of visitors; green connections to the waterfront and surrounding neighbourhoods;
• Innovative programming using new media, events, and the arts, with partners from all over the city; and
• A stunning Visitor Centre to open during the Bicentennial, 2012–14, to pull all this together; the Visitor Centre will be a community resource and the hub to orient visitors to the entire 43-acre National Historic Site.

The Visitor Centre

A Legacy for Learning and Discovery will be located at the site's new entrance on Fort York Boulevard, outside the walled fort. This 24,000-square-foot building will serve as gateway and hub for the entire National Historic Site. It will host multimedia presentations and highlight dramatic exhibits and storied objects such as the regimental colours of the Third York Militia, hidden from hostile forces occupying the town following the Battle of York. It will contain a resource centre for material about Fort York and the War of 1812, complementing a new Toronto Public Library branch opposite the fort on Bathurst St. The Centre will also host community events, opening up Fort York to new admirers.

A jury has unanimously chosen the design submitted by Patkau Architects Inc., Vancouver, with Kearns Mancini Architects Inc., Toronto, for the new Visitor Centre.

For a full description of the Foundation's mandate and activities, please visit: www.fortyorkfoundation.ca or call 416-926-0265. Contact us to learn how you can help preserve the spirit of Fort York and inspire visitors for generations.

Fort York Foundation

2 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 800

Toronto, Ontario
M4T 2T5

416-926-0265
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