In May 1756, French troops began work on two structures flanking Fort Ticonderoga's place d'armes, using limestone quarried from the fort site for stone blocks and burning it in a lime kiln to make mortar with water and sand. Completed by the end of 1756, the Magasin du Roi, or King's storehouse, held goods for the French army as well as Canadian militia and Native American allies. As French defenders withdrew before the advancing British in 1759, they blew up the powder magazine, and the explosion and resulting fire destroyed much of the structure, which was never rebuilt. The fort remained a ruin through the 19th century and drew tourists from around the world. In 1909, Stephen and Sarah Pell began restoring Fort Ticonderoga, starting with the Magasin's sister structure, the West or Officers' Barracks, built at the same time but largely surviving war and time. By the mid-1940s, nearly the entire fort had been reconstructed except for the Magasin, and restoration efforts continued through the 20th century, but work on other structures delayed completion into the 21st century. The need for modern exhibition, education, and programming space renewed interest in reconstruction before the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War, and with support from Forrest and Deborah Clarke Mars, this building opened to the public in 2008 with an exterior more closely based on French military architecture in North America and an interior suited to a 21st-century museum.
