Split image of Elton McDonald (via Facebook) and the tunnel in Toronto (Toronto Police Services).

It really was just the coolest fort ever.

The architect of a mystery underground tunnel found near the Rexall Centre at York University in Toronto says it was just a fun project for him and some friends.

Elton McDonald, a 22-year-old construction worker, has come forward to say he meant no harm by building the bunker discovered near the venue for the upcoming Pan-Am Games.

“It was not meant as a bad thing,” McDonald told the Toronto Sun in an interview.

“It was just something I always wanted to do,” he said. “When you went down there it was like you don’t even exist. I wanted to make it a place that no one knew about it.”

The tunnel – 10 metres long, almost two metres high and less than a metre wide – sparked a great deal of speculation after it was discovered Jan. 14 by a Toronto Region and Conservation Authority employee.

It had been shored up with wood beams and the entrance covered with a sheet of plywood or aluminum. There was a generator inside and a rosary with a Remembrance Day poppy hanging on the wall.

Police were stumped. Media speculated on the possibility of a terror plot.

In the end, it was a hide-away “man cave” that hosted a few barbecues.

“It was a secret for sure but it was not built for nefarious reasons,” McDonald told the newspaper.

“It wasn’t really a tunnel. I was going to expand it to have a couple of rooms,” he said. “I was hoping to put in a TV. I did some barbecuing there. It was more a place to hang out.”

After police tracked down McDonald through some of the equipment found in the tunnel, they quickly dispelled any lingering fear of a Pan-Am plot.

“One of the theories was maybe this is just the coolest fort ever and it turned out that was probably the closest to being true,” Chief Bill Blair told reporters after police spoke to McDonald. There were no charges.

Police did not release his name but McDonald contacted the Toronto Sun because he said he wanted to reassure the public.

A small collapse is what led to the mysterious rosary found by police.

“It was kind of for protection. It was for good luck, a prayer,” he said. He’s hoping to get it back.

The tunnel has now been filled in but McDonald said he’d like to do it again – but next time he’ll build it on his own property.

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