Harbridge & Cross Limited has been awarded the construction contract to build the Visitor Centre at Fort York National Historic Site. The building design, a joint effort by Vancouver's Patkau Architects and Toronto's Kearns Mancini Architects, was selected from 31 proposals due to its strong visual impact on Fort York Boulevard, and has been recognzied by Canadian Architect magazine with an Award of Excellence. 

Below is a rendering of the Visitor Centre just below the Gardiner Expressway.

Fort York Visitor Centre, image by Fort York Foundation

The Visitor Centre will be built in alignment with the original shoreline of Lake Ontario, set below the Gardiner Expressway at the entrance to Fort York National Historic Site. It will serve as an anchor for the 43-acre site and house a permanent exhibition space for the City of Toronto's collection of related historical artifacts. Other features include permanent and rotating exhibits, multimedia and educational tools and the space for community and research purposes. The $19 million project is being funded by all three levels of government and will be built in accordance with the Toronto Green Standard.

Below is an image of what the new Visitor Centre site looks today.

Fort York Boulevard, image by Google Streetview

When reached for comment on news of the construction going ahead, Mike Layton told UrbanToronto, "I am very pleased, and I hope it will be built in time for part of the Bicentennial Celebrations." Layton is city councillor for Ward 19 Trinity-Spadina, which includes Fort York.

The War of 1812 Bicentennial Celebtrations comprise two years of events between 2012 and 2014.