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by Andrew Stewart avid came to Fort York in 2005 with 12 years of experience as D a planner and project manager in Parks & Recreation at the City of Toronto. Trained as a landscape architect and planner, he brought with him great skills and the knowledge of how work actually gets done at the City. He also brought a collegial work ethic, unrelenting energy, and an instinct for finding common ground. David had already worked with the Friends and other stakeholders on the Open Space Design and Implementation Plan for Fort York that was completed in 2001. He was familiar with what was then the fort’s unique problem: it had no surrounding neighbourhood and it was separate from the larger city. This was changing, of course, with 15,000 units then being planned and under construction. David was just the David’s right person to meet the challenge presented by this change. Beginning in 2005, David identified Fort York as an “archaeological landscape” encompassing 43 acres. He worked to extend oversight and protection to all its cultural resources in the context of massive neighbourhood and municipal infrastructure development. He led the charge on many fronts: elevating the profile of Fort York in Toronto as well as nationally and even internationally; consolidating the site’s physical and historic assets under the control of the Economic Development & Culture Division; giving the fort a distinctive and unifying brand; providing a front door onto Fort York Boulevard; and helping to position it as a significant destination for Torontonians and visitors alike. All of these moves were careful, strategic and cooperative. At the start of his term, the Fort York Visitor Centre had been a beckoning (but distant) goal for decades. The approaching War of 1812 bicentennial magnified its
An appreciation: David contributions to Fort York
appeal. Planning in earnest began in 2008. With enormous goodwill and help from Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, David ensured that the Visitor Centre design process met the highest standard: a professional jury was appointed to select the best design after an open competition. He consistently and persuasively argued for it to serve as a hub for the entire national historic site David O’Hara in early June, 2014, as the Fort York Visitor Centre nears completion. Designed by Patkau Architects of and for the larger, developing Fort Vancouver and Kearns Mancini of Toronto, it was awarded York neighbourhood. Again, this a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture in 2018. Fort advocacy elevated the fort’s profile, York Armoury is in the background. Photo by Kathy Mills reinforcing the significance of the site as a one-of-a-kind civic common landscape. By necessity, he formed long in downtown Toronto. working relationships with Planning; The city’s War of 1812 bicentennial Parks, Forestry & Recreation; Waterfront was skilfully and passionately managed Toronto; CreateTO; Toronto Parking by Sandra Shaul, who worked closely Authority; the TTC; Engineering & Construction Services; and Toronto Hydro. And that’s just the City. On professional background the federal side, the departments of in planning and landscape Canadian Heritage and National Defence were both important to served Fort York very well site planning, programming and management. Victoria Memorial Square came into the City’s fold, with David (and many other key under the big wing of Parks, Forestry & players, including the Canadian Army) Recreation, from the federal government as Fort York became the centrepiece of – the last bit of land remaining from the bicentennial events. New and talented staff Crown’s tenure of Garrison Common combined with the deeply knowledgeable dating to the eighteenth century. A personnel already at the fort to support new working relationship with the Department programs aiming at an audience broader of National Defence is also important, and more diverse than ever before. One given that the future of Fort York Armoury, of the bicentennial’s legacies is the annual part of the national historic site, remains Indigenous Arts Festival, which David was undefined. And a strong relationship was instrumental in supporting and expanding. forged with the Lieutenant Governor’s The bicentennial also established a closer office, His Honour David Onley visiting relationship with First Nations curators, the fort on several occasions and holding historians and artists – Fort York serving his New Year’s levee there in 2011. as common ground. In addition to all these, there were (and As administrator, then manager, of remain) community stakeholders, program the national historic site, David deftly partners, project managers (for the Visitor challenged and, at the same time, made Centre construction and War of 1812 common cause with myriad departments bicentennial), funders and granting and agencies of the City which all had a agencies as well as many volunteers. stake, one way or another, in this founding David worked closely with the Friends
and the Fort York Foundation and, despite led the way in cleaning up the space under his demanding schedule, found time to the Gardiner Expressway. This meant attend most of our monthly meetings. He reclaiming this derelict brownfield as part also helped us plan (and then faithfully of the national historic site, rezoning it as attended) countless joint events. parkland, seeding the ground, building David’s professional background in walkways, overseeing the art project planning and landscape served Fort York Watertable and recognizing under-thevery well. Under his leadership, physical Gardiner’s cathedral-like scale and volume. connections and the quality of those All of this prepared the ground for the connections received close attention. They Bentway. include a re-designed Garrison Road and Shepherding disparate parts into a the removal of an obsolete bridge; Garrison coherent whole is not an easy task and Common’s improved connection to the requires much patience, a knack for master walled fort (including the historic field of planning, and a chess-player’s mind for fire, cleared with a $1 million gift from the how the parts relate in the long run and the W. Garfield Weston Foundation thanks opportunities afforded by their movements largely to David’s advocacy); oversight of on the board. And they are wonderful how Garrison Crossing would land on parts: an elegant new Visitor Centre; a the Common; and new pathways with rehabilitated and expanded Garrison comprehensive wayfinding. A trail has Common; the Strachan Avenue Military been built along the north edge of the site Burial Ground; Fort York Armoury; that will eventually carry the West Toronto Garrison Crossing and its connection to Railpath under the Bathurst bridge to a re-developed abattoir site in the Niagara CityPlace and downtown. neighbourhood; the coming Lower Starting with his arrival in 2005, David Garrison Creek Park; Fort York Toronto
Public Library; and even more. David demonstrated all these skills of foresight and we were fortunate to have his steady management of this complicated, historic piece of real estate – now surrounded on three sides by residential towers – through all the years of on-site construction and the extended 1812 bicentennial. The legacy of the bicentennial, and of David’s management, is one of vastly increased programming, diversity, attendance and profile of Fort York National Historic Site. We wish David well in his new endeavour overseeing the Rail Deck Park project – just next door! While we can say a heartfelt thank you, we don’t, in fact, have to say goodbye. Our Precinct Advisory Committee continues to benefit from his participation and expert advice, as we hope it will for years to come. Dr Andrew Stewart is an archaeologist, vicechair of the Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common and Board Chair of the Fort York Foundation. Photo below by Ted Smolak
Dr Andrew Stewart is an archaeologist, vicechair of the Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common and Board Chair of the Fort York Foundation. Photo below by Ted Smolak
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