Fort York Armoury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort York Armoury |
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Fort York Armoury Entrance
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| General information | |
| Type | Drill Hall / armoury |
| Address | 660 Fleet Street Toronto, Ontario M5V 1A9 |
| Coordinates | 43°38′13″N 79°24′29″W / 43.6369°N 79.4080°W |
| Current tenants | Queen's York Rangers; Royal Regiment of Canada; 32 Signal Regiment |
| Owner | Canadian Forces (Government of Canada) |
| Awards and prizes | Federal Heritage building (1991) |
Fort York Armoury is a special building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a place where parts of the Canadian Forces train and meet. You can find it near the historic Old Fort York and the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. This armoury is home to several groups from the Primary Reserve and the Canadian Cadet Organization. These groups are like part-time soldiers and youth programs.
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History of Fort York Armoury
The Fort York Armoury was built in 1933. It was paid for by private money, not government funds. The building has the largest lattice wood arched roof in Canada. This type of roof uses criss-crossing wooden beams to create a strong, curved shape.
Architects Marani, Lawson, and Morris from Toronto designed the armoury. Since 1991, Fort York Armoury has been recognized as a Federal Heritage building. This means it is an important historical site in Canada.
Building Features and Design
The Fort York Armoury has some interesting features. Inside, there are three small museums about the military groups. These museums show items and stories from the regiments.
Overlooking Lake Ontario, there are special rooms called officers' messes. These are traditional meeting places for military officers.
The Lamella Roof
A very special part of the armoury is its Lamella roof. This roof design allows for a huge open space inside. It spans almost 125 feet without any support columns. This large area is perfect for parades, training soldiers, and parking military vehicles.
Main Entrance Details
The main entrance to the armoury is impressive. It has strong stone pillars called pilasters on each side. Above the entrance, you can see a large carved coat-of-arms of Canada. This is the official symbol of the country.
You can also see stone carvings of cap badges above other doorways. These badges are symbols for each of the original military groups that used the armoury. They are set into the stone wall, called a parapet, above balconies.
Groups at the Armoury
In the Canadian military, an armoury is a place where reserve units train and meet. Fort York Armoury is currently home to several important groups:
- Queen's York Rangers
- The Royal Regiment of Canada
- 32 Signal Regiment (which used to be called 709 (Toronto) Communication Regiment)
- 32 Brigade Battle School
Past Units at the Armoury
Over the years, other military groups have also used Fort York Armoury. Some of these include:
- The Toronto Scottish Regiment
- 2 Field Engineer Regiment
- 1st Battalion Irish Regiment
- The 48th Highlanders of Canada
