Bessarion is a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

Line 4 Sheppard Line 4 Sheppard is the newest and shortest subway line of the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It opened on November 22, 2002, and has five stations along of track, which is built without any open sectio ...

of the

Toronto subway The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is a multimodal transport, multimodal rail network consisting of three Pa ...

. Opened in 2002, it was consistently ranked the least-used station on the heavy-rail portion of the subway system (serving an average of 2,500 passengers per weekday between 2008 and 2018), until being displaced by

Downsview Park station Downsview Park is a rapid transit station on Line 1 Yonge–University of the Toronto subway and a commuter rail station on the Barrie commuter rail line of GO Transit. Subway service began on December 17, 2017, and GO Train service began on Dec ...

in 2018. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.

History

Bessarion opened on November 24, 2002, along with the other stations of the Sheppard line. Due to budget overruns that came up on several occasions during construction, there were suggestions to remove the station from the project for a cost savings of $34 million. In October 1998, it was decided that the station should be built because its surrounding area was a prime target for redevelopment and the station was an important selling feature for proposed housing units pushed by Councillor David Shiner. When the site was excavated, the soil was found to be contaminated with various levels of

hydrocarbons In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

(likely from the former Canadian Tire service station on the site). The soil was removed and decontaminated during the construction of the subway station. Bessarion Community Centre - 20210530B

Upon opening, the area surrounding Bessarion station was the low-rise residential neighbourhood of

Bayview Village Bayview Village is an neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the federal Don Valley North riding and the provincial Don Valley North electoral district, and Toronto electoral Ward 17: Don Valley North. In 2006, it had a populati ...

big box stores A big-box store (also hyperstore, supercenter, superstore, or megastore) is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain of stores. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. The t ...

and a

Canadian Tire Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas stations a ...

distribution centre. In the mid-2000s, Line 4 was criticised as a "

white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...

", with ridership below expected levels. TTC officials privately joked that "keeping ticket sellers awake is the biggest challenge amid the boredom that is Bessarion station". Since 2007,

Concord Park Place Concord Park Place is a multi-tower condominium complex under construction by developer Concord Adex in Toronto, Ontario. The development is the second largest master-planned community in Toronto, behind CityPlace on Toronto's waterfront. Upon ...

, an

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

and

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...

complex was constructed by developer Concord Adex on a former Canadian Tire distribution centre adjacent to the station. Upon completion, the development was set to consist of 20 residential towers with around 10,000 residents, 2 new schools and a community centre. Early phases of the development (completed in the early 2010s) were criticized for being located far away from the station entrance; however, the developer noted that the development and the community centre would increase ridership at the station. Other residential developments along Sheppard Avenue close to the station have also been proposed. Between 2008 and 2018, ridership at Bessarion increased by 3%, a small increase compared to a 14% rise in ridership on

overall during the same period. The station maintained roughly half the number of riders of

Don Mills Don Mills is a mixed-use neighbourhood in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was developed to be a self-supporting " new town" and was at the time located outside Toronto proper. In 1998, North York, including the Don Mills c ...

, the next busiest station on the line.

Station description

Like all stations on the Sheppard line, Bessarion is fully accessible and has been since 2002, the year it opened. The main entrance on the south side of Sheppard Avenue is fully accessible, with elevator, escalator, and stair access to the concourse level, where another elevator connects to the subway platform level. The north entrance provides direct access to the concourse level only with stairs. The subway continues underground in a bored tunnel in both directions; east into and west to .

Architecture and art

The station was designed by URS Cole Sherman, with the station generally outfitted in tiles of cream and deep red. The

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

in the station, titled ''Passing'' by Toronto artist Sylvie Belanger, is a

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

of hands, feet, and the backs of heads, which represent the users of the station. The images of feet appear on the concourse level, while the heads appear on the platform level. The images of hands appear along the stairs between the Sheppard Avenue north side entrance and the concourse. Bessarion Concourse, November 2021.jpg, Concourse level File:Bessarion TTC 15628994403.jpg, Back of heads at platform level File:Bessarion TTC 16247041211.jpg, Feet and legs greet passengers at the concourse level

Surface connections

There are no off-street bus platforms at this station. Connecting service is available at the bus stops on Sheppard Avenue with a valid transfer. TTC routes serving the station include:

Nearby landmarks

Nearby landmarks include the Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Park and the Ethennonnhawahstihnen' Community Recreation Centre and Library (part of the

development), Bessarion Parkette, a

Mark's Work Wearhouse Mark's (known as L'Équipeur in Quebec) is a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer specializing in casual and industrial wear. Beginning in 1977 as Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary, Alberta, it evolved from an industrial accessories dealer ...

and Mountain Equipment Co-op North York.

References

External links

''Finding Bessarion''
a documentary by John Gape featuring Jeremy Woodcock. {{TTCstations Line 4 Sheppard stations Railway stations in Canada opened in 2002 2002 establishments in Ontario