10. Stanley Barracks at the Canadian National Exhibition - 115 Princes’ Blvd
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Though it doesn’t feel that way today, Exhibition Place has a long military history, and was the site of engagements during the War of 1812. Today, Toronto does not appear to be a Canadian military town the way Halifax or Ottawa is, but there are a few places where our forces are present, either actively or historically. One of the latter sites is Stanley Barracks, constructed of Queenston limestone and located next door to Hotel X, right across Enercare Centre. Built in the 1840s by the British Army, the Barracks building was meant to replace nearby Fort York that had been largely destroyed during the War of 1812 (and since has been rebuilt as a City of Toronto museum). Today, the barracks are the only surviving structure of the “new fort”. In 1893, the fort was named after the same Governor General who lent his name to hockey's Stanley Cup and was used by the military until 1947. During World War I it was known as “Exhibition Camp” and used for the internment of German citizens, as well as Turkish and Austro-Hungarian sympathizers, who were seen as “enemy aliens” at the time. Since then, the Barracks has been home to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Marine Museum.
