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Sherbourne Blockhouse

1838 establishments in CanadaBlockhousesBuildings and structures completed in 1838Military forts in Ontario
Sherbourne Blockhouse a
Sherbourne Blockhouse a

Following the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada Sir George Arthur directed the construction of a Sherbourne Blockhouse, and a ring of six other blockhouses -- to guard the approaches to Toronto in case there was another rebellion. The Sherbourne Blockhouse was located at the northern end of Sherbourne Street, at the current intersection with Bloor, just south of the Rosedale Ravine. The blockhouses were two stories tall, and designed to accommodate up to 44 soldiers. The two stories were at 45 degrees to one another—a design intended to make it easier to observe in all directions. Construction of the blockhouses was budgeted at 330 British Pounds. They were completed in 1838. By 1850 they were staffed by a skeleton crew of former soldiers, who served as caretakers. The Spadina Blockhouse was demolished sometime before 1854. The Yonge Blockhouse was demolished in 1865. The Sherbourne Blockhouse was demolished in 1875. Numerous sketches of it have survived to the current day.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sherbourne Blockhouse (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Sherbourne Blockhouse
Bloor Street East, Toronto

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Latitude Longitude
N 43.67239 ° E -79.37683 °
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Sherbourne Street

Bloor Street East
M4W 1J1 Toronto
Ontario, Canada
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James Cooper House
James Cooper House

James Cooper House is an historic house in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2008, the house became the heaviest residential structural relocation in Canadian history, when it was moved 20 feet (6.1 m) east and 5 feet (1.5 m) south from its original location. The relocation took place over two phases, moving east on September 25, 2008 and south on December 11, 2008, at a reported cost of CA$1 million.The house is located at the corner of Sherbourne Street and Linden, just south of Bloor Street. It was built in 1881 for James Cooper, a wealthy importer, manufacturer, and retailer of shoes. It was one of many mansions in the Sherbourne and Jarvis area, once among Toronto's wealthiest. The eight bedroom house was opulently constructed in the Second Empire style with Classical detailing. The City of Toronto designated the structure a heritage property and affixed a Heritage Toronto plaque in 2010. After Cooper departed, the building became home to the Keeley Institute for Nervous Diseases, an organization assisting those with alcohol and substance abuse problems. In 1910, it became home to the Toronto Knights of Columbus, who used the facility as a meeting and fundraising venue for almost a century and added the assembly hall seen in the black and white photograph from 1956. Tridel development corporation purchased the building and its large lot in 2005, intending to erect a condominium tower on the site. The building would be preserved, but moved to a part of the lot about 60 feet away from its original location. The assembly hall addition would be demolished. This process began in 2008 when crews lifted the 800-ton house off its foundation and moved it to a temporary spot during construction. Tridel's new 32 storey tower is named "James Cooper Mansion," and the old house will serve as an amenities centre for the new building.