Downtown Fort William, Ontario
Downtown Fort William | |
---|---|
Cuthbertson Block built 1908[1] | |
Population 2,000 |
Ward McKellar and Westfort wards |
Location in Thunder Bay |
Downtown Fort William, also known as Downtown Thunder Bay South or the South Core, is the urban core of the former city of
Downtown Fort William is the location of
History
Downtown Fort William is one of the three nodes around which urban growth began in the Lakehead area. In 1883 the
Demographics
The downtown area has a population of approximately 1,000 and a median age of approximately 47 years. The south core has a larger aboriginal population than much of the rest of the city, and the lowest average income in Thunder Bay.[5][6] The south core is the location of several apartment buildings aimed to low income individuals and seniors. It also has a relatively large homeless contingent and is the location of the Rotary Shelter House.[7] The John Howard Society, an organization dedicated to assist people who have come into conflict with the law, is located in the old YMCA building.[8]
Crime is recognized to be a problem in the south core, especially near the Brodie Street
Economy
Neither of Thunder Bay's downtown cores overshadowed the other, and both are today less important economically than the Intercity area. However, the South Core continues to be an employment centre. Several thousand people work in the core every day. The largest employers in the area include the city government of Thunder Bay, the StarTek Call Centre, and various businesses in the Victoriaville Civic Centre.[10] The core is home to branches of four of Canada's five major banks, and several credit unions.
Several industrial businesses are located in the neighbourhood, primarily on the eastern side of the neighbourhood, and the Canadian Pacific Train Station is located in the southernmost part of the neighbourhood.
Arts and culture
Downtown Fort William is the location of many
Brodie Resource Library is located on Brodie Street beside city hall. It was opened in 1912 as Fort William's Carnegie Library.[13]
The CBC's Thunder Bay studio is located on Miles Street on the former site of St Joseph's Convent. facing the former St Stanislaus school. It is the broadcasting centre for CBQ and CBQT. A webcam is mounted on top of its broadcasting antenna, and looks out over the Simpson-Ogden neighbourhood.
Places of worship
Several churches are located in the core, the most prominent being St. Andrews
Sports and recreation
The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is located in the south core on May Street, beside city hall.[20] The Fort William Gardens is located at the corner of Vickers and Miles streets, and is a 4,700 seat arena.[21]
Parks
There are many parks and parkettes in the south core, the most notable is Paterson Park, located on the former site of the Fort William Central School on May Street between Miles and Leith streets. The park was named after Norman M. Paterson, a Senator and founder of Paterson GlobalFoods. The park features a fountain and benches on an artificial hill.[22] Located along the Kaministiquia River is the Kaministiquia River Heritage Park, which features a Via Rail train display, a restored Tugboat, a boardwalk, and a stainless steel sculpture titled "Animikie", which is Ojibwe for "thunder bird".[23]
Education
Many schools were located in the downtown area, but as the population aged and the number of families decreased, most were closed. The only school operating in the core today is McKellar Park Central School, which has classes from
Infrastructure
The street layout in Downtown Fort William is based on a grid, which is interrupted at several points by Victoriaville Mall, Paterson Park and the former McKellar General Hospital. Thunder Bay Transit operates a bus terminal in the core. Routes that use the terminal include 1 Mainline, 2 Crosstown, 3 Memorial, 4 Neebing, 8 James, and 12 East End. During peak hours, bus frequency in the core is every 15 minutes.[28]
Medical facilities in the core include St. Joseph's Care Group in Victoriaville Civic Centre,[29] the Ridgeway Clinic,[30] the Fort William Clinic,[31] and the Spence Clinic.[32] The Mayo Clinic has an office in Spence Clinic where local residents can receive information about the Mayo Clinic and schedule appointments.[33]
Photo gallery
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Government of Canada offices at the corner of May and Leith, an example of Beaux-Arts Classicism.[34] Constructed in 1913 of limestone, its architectural elements have been reduced to their bare essentials, representing a movement toward modern classicism.[35]
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Built in 1928 as theQueen Elizabeth II.[39]
-
Independent Living Resource Centre Thunder Bay at 130 South Brodie Street.non-profit organizationthat delivers programs and services to all persons with disabilities and the community, as well as several condominium units.
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This building at the corner of Syndicate and Donald streets is home to the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, among other businesses.[42]
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Theparkade. Designed by T. W. Fuller and built in 1935 this building served as Fort Williams second post office.[43]
References
- ^ Thunder Bay Street Tours - Cuthburtson Block Archived November 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-920119-22-0.
- ^ Fort William Journal 2 & 5 & 26 Sept 1891
- ISBN 0-920119-22-0.
- 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-597-XWE. Ottawa. Released December 4, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
- ^ Income statistics: Shopping in Thunder Bay Archived October 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, pp. 5. Retrieved March 1. 2008. Statistics Canada income data for 2006 will be released on May 1, 2008.
- ^ Shelter House Thunder Bay.
- ^ John Howard Society of Thunder Bay.
- .
- ^ Major Employer List 2007 Archived August 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society
- ^ Big Brush.com, website for the Brodie Street Art Gallery.
- ^ History of the Thunder Bay Public Library Archived August 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-88902-872-9.
- ^ St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church[dead link] at Emporis.com
- ^ St. Patrick's Cathedral
- ^ Thunder Bay Walking Tours - St. Patrick's Cathedral Archived November 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ St. Paul's Anglican Church.
- ^ Wesley United Church at Profile Canada
- ^ Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ Fort William Gardens website Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 0-920119-50-6.
- ^ Kaministiquia River Heritage Park Website Archived October 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "School boards respond to Fraser Institute ranking[permanent dead link]", TBSource. (February 19, 2008) Retrieved on 2 March 2008.
- ^ Thunder Bay Walking Tours - Saint Stanislaus School Archived November 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Public willing to buy into condo plan proposed for FWCI[permanent dead link]" TBSource. (January 15, 2008) Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Sylvan Learning Centre Thunder Bay". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ Thunder Bay Transit Route Map Archived October 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine [map], 2006. Retrieved on 17 June 2007.
- ^ "About St. Joseph's Care Group". St. Joseph's Care Group. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ Ridgeway Clinic at Profile Canada
- ^ Fort William Clinic at Profile Canada
- ^ Spence Clinic at Profile Canada
- ^ Mayo Clinic - Canadian Contact information Archived January 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-88902-872-9.
- ^ Ontario Architecture, Beaux Arts. Retrieved on March 1, 2008.
- ^ Ontario Architecture, Art Deco. Retrieved on March 1, 2008.
- ISBN 0-88902-872-9.
- ^ Emporis.com[dead link], Royal Edward Arms, Thunder Bay. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
- ^ Thunder Bay Street Tours - Royal Edward Arms Archived November 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Independent Living Resource Centre Thunder Bay. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
- ^ Thunder Bay Street Tours - Roy Building Archived November 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Archived April 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Contact page. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
- ^ Thunder Bay Street Tours - Federal Building Archived November 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Tronrud, Thorold J. (1993). Guardians of Progress: Boosters and Boosterism in Thunder Bay, 1870–1914. ISBN 0-920119-16-6.
- Tronrud, Thorold J; Epp, Ernest A.; and others. (1995). Thunder Bay: From Rivalry to Unity. ISBN 0-920119-22-0.
- Piovesana, Roy. Hope & Charity: An Illustrated History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay. Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay.