Fort York

Fort York
Native name French: Fort-York
Aerial view of Fort York from the southeast
Location	250 Fort York Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43°38′20″N 79°24′13″W / 43.63889°N 79.40361°W / 43.63889; -79.40361
Built	1793
Original use	Military fortification
Rebuilt	1813–15
Restored	1932–34; 1949
Restored by	Municipal government of Toronto
Current use	Museum
Owner	Municipal government of Toronto
Website	www.fortyork.ca
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Fort York National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	25 May 1923
Ontario Heritage Act
Official name	Fort York Heritage Conservation District
Type	Heritage Conservation District
Designated	21 May 1985
Location of Fort York in Toronto

Fort York (French: Fort-York) is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used to house members of the British and Canadian militaries, and to defend the entrance of the Toronto Harbour. The fort features stone-lined earthwork walls and eight historical buildings within them, including two blockhouses. The fort forms a part of Fort York National Historic Site, a 16.6 ha (41-acre) site that includes the fort, Garrison Common, military cemeteries, and a visitor centre.

The fort originated from a garrison established by John Graves Simcoe in 1793. Anglo-American tensions resulted in the fort being further fortified and designated as an official British Army post in 1798. The original fort was destroyed by American forces following the Battle of York in April 1813. Work to rebuild the fort began later in 1813 over the remains of the old fort and was completed in 1815. The rebuilt fort served as a military hospital for the remainder of the War of 1812, although it briefly saw action against an American naval vessel in August 1814.

Fort York remained in use with the British Army and the Canadian militia, despite the opening of New Fort York to the west in the 1840s. In 1870, the property was formally transferred to the Canadian militia. The municipal government assumed ownership of the fort in 1909, although the Canadian military continued to make sporadic use of the fort until the end of the Second World War.

The fort and the surrounding area were designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1923. The fort was restored to its early-19th-century configuration in 1934 and reopened as a museum on the War of 1812 and military life in 19th-century Canada.