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About eight years ago, the Friends of Fort York joined a committee of local landowners and City staff to decide upon new street names for the area to the immediate south of the Fort. Balancing the myriad interests involved in such exercises, the committee recommended names closely associated with the area’s history: Iannuzzi Street, Grand Magazine Street, Bastion Street, Gzowski Street, Angelique Street, Bruyeres Mews, and Sloping Sky Mews. After City Council approved those names, they were reported on in the May 2005 issue of Fife and Drum, with brief descriptions of the history behind each. http://www.fortyork.ca/newsletter.htm Thanks in part to the Friends, plans were made to have plaques interpret these street names, so that the story behind them could be understood. Funds were secured from the area’s land developers. Given its long-standing Plaques and Markers Program, Heritage Toronto was brought on board to coordinate and complete the interpretation, in consultation with the Friends of Fort York, and with the considerable help of Robert Mays, from the City’s Public Realm section. After much deliberation and several on-site visits, it was agreed that every effort should be made to have the interpretive plaques maintain the simplicity of the Fort York Neighbourhood streetscape (itself very carefully designed). As a result, Heritage Toronto is producing bronze plaques (approx. 30 x 8 inches) which will be installed into the sidewalks at the intersections with Fleet Street and Bathurst Street, and where Sloping Sky Mews meets June Callwood Park. The installation of each plaque will be timed with the completion of the sidewalks, which in some cases won’t be finished for another year. That said, four plaques to interpret Bruyeres Mews, Grand Magazine Street, Iannuzzi Street, and Angelique Street, will likely be in place shortly. Lanterra Construction, Plazacorp, and Malibu Investments (with Tucker HiRise) are providing assistance with their installation.
Gary Miedema is Chief Historian and Associate Director, Heritage Toronto
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