In 1765, British naval craftsmen from Fort Niagara erected a barracks on the opposite side of the Niagara River. Over the years several buildings, known collectively as Navy Hall, evolved into a large military complex and became a key supply depot for British forts on the upper Great Lakes. During the American Revolution, the Provincial Marine wintered at Navy Hall and, in 1792, Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe converted one of the buildings into his residence. Navy Hall was destroyed by American forces during the War of 1812. After the war, the British reconstructed some of the buildings, of which one still survives.