Stanley Barracks

Stanley Barracks was once part of New Fort York, built in the 1840s to replace the old wooden Fort York which was mostly destroyed during the War of 1812. The new fort consisted of stone brick buildings made from Queenston Limestone.
Situated on what is now the CNE Exhibiton Grounds, the Stanley Barracks is the only remaining building from the fort. This was the Officer(a)s Quarters, the largest of the original six buildings, constructed at a cost 0f 19,000 pounds. It housed British troops after the 1837 Rebellion until around 1870 when the troops left. During the 1870s, the fort was used by the North-West Mounted Police (later the RCMP) for training. In 1893, the name of the fort was changed to the Stanley Barracks, after the Governor General of Canada(also famous as the same man who donated the Stanley Cup). During the time of the First World War, this became an interment camp for German, Turkish, and Austro-Hungarian sypathizers, who were treated as enemy prisoners. During the time of the Second World War, all the buildings of the fort and the exhibition were used by troops before being sent overseas. The entire grounds became a military camp. After World War 2, the buildings became vacant and were eventually torn down in 1953, except for the Officer(a)s Quarter, which was the most impressive building of the fort. The Stanley Barracks has also served as home to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and most recently the Toronto Maritime Museum. The tugboat Ned Hanlon, still sits on the west side of the building, also closed to the public. The museum was closed in 1998, and the Barracks have sat empty since then.
Occasionally opened during the annual Doors Open event, this beautiful historic building remains abandoned to this day. Future plans are uncertain.