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The Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital was a
Most of the buildings were built by the patients themselves. Patients also helped with the laundry and tended to the gardens.
The Assembly Hall, now operated by the City of Toronto, was built by the patients in 1898 as a recreation location for the patients, staff, and the public. Sunday worship services were also conducted at the Assembly Hall.
The hospital also had its own cemetery, located in the vicinity of Evans Avenue and Horner Avenue (on and off ramps on south side of the Gardiner next to Islington Nurseries). The cemetery contains the remains of 1,511 former patients of the hospital. It's about 3 km north of the former hospital, tucked between the Gardiner Expressway and a strip of suburban businesses. Flat stones currently mark fewer than 200 graves.
A powerhouse for the site was built in the 1930s to provide heat for the cottages.
After several decades of use, the hospital was renovated starting in 1959 by then superintendent, Doctor H.C Moorehouse.
The site was closed as a hospital on September 1, 1979 with the last 280 patients being transferred to other sites. The decision to close the site was due to its needing to be renovated again. At its height in 1950, the hospital housed 1,391 patients.
In 1988, the site was designated as a historic property.
File:The_Pumphouse.JPG, The Power House, now used for the outdoor skating rink.
File:NewToronto_Gatehouse.jpg, The former Gatehouse.
File:Lakeshore_Psychiatric_Carriage_House.jpg, The former Carriage House, now used by Tim Hortons.
File:Cricket Grounds at Humber College.JPG, The Cricket Oval where patients used to play cricket, with cottages in the background.
File:Building 'G'.JPG, The former Administration Building.
File:Building E.JPG, Building E of Humber College's Lakeshore Campus.
File:Building J.JPG, This is Humber's Building J, the former Cottage 4 of the Hospital.
File:Building 'D'.JPG, Building 'D' of Humber College's Lakeshore Campus. The building used to be part of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital.
File:Close-up of Building 'D'.JPG, A close-up of some of the details on Building D at Humber College's Lakeshore Campus.
File:Building 'I'.JPG, Building 'I' of Humber College's Lakeshore Campus.
File:Building 'H'.JPG, Building 'H' of Humber College, which was originally Cottage #2 when it was part of the Hospital.
File:Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Cemetery 001.JPG, The entrance to the cemetery for the hospital, located on Evans Ave.
New Toronto Historical Society: Mimico Asylum
The Assembly Hall
Police Academy
A brief history of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital
Lakeshore Grounds - Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital
The Story Unfolds
{{authority control 1979 disestablishments in Ontario Hospitals in Toronto Defunct hospitals in Canada Hospitals established in 1889 Hospitals disestablished in 1979 1889 establishments in Ontario Psychiatric hospitals in Ontario
psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...
located in the town of New Toronto
New Toronto is a neighbourhood and former municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-west area of Toronto, along Lake Ontario. The Town of New Toronto was established in 1890, and was designed and planned as an indust ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
(now part of the city of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
). The hospital grounds now form part of Humber College
The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...
's Lakeshore Campus.
History
The hospital was built in 1888. as the Mimico Asylum. The doors officially opened on January 21, 1889. The original idea for the hospital's design of a cottage system was Doctor Joseph Workman who wanted a hospital that would not feel like an institution. The architect for the site was Kivas Tully, who worked with gardener Samuel Matheson, designed the original facility under the supervision of the Superintendent of the Queen Street Asylum, Dr. Daniel K. Clark.
Most of the buildings were built by the patients themselves. Patients also helped with the laundry and tended to the gardens.
The Assembly Hall, now operated by the City of Toronto, was built by the patients in 1898 as a recreation location for the patients, staff, and the public. Sunday worship services were also conducted at the Assembly Hall.
The hospital also had its own cemetery, located in the vicinity of Evans Avenue and Horner Avenue (on and off ramps on south side of the Gardiner next to Islington Nurseries). The cemetery contains the remains of 1,511 former patients of the hospital. It's about 3 km north of the former hospital, tucked between the Gardiner Expressway and a strip of suburban businesses. Flat stones currently mark fewer than 200 graves.
A powerhouse for the site was built in the 1930s to provide heat for the cottages.
After several decades of use, the hospital was renovated starting in 1959 by then superintendent, Doctor H.C Moorehouse.
The site was closed as a hospital on September 1, 1979 with the last 280 patients being transferred to other sites. The decision to close the site was due to its needing to be renovated again. At its height in 1950, the hospital housed 1,391 patients.
In 1988, the site was designated as a historic property.
In film
Prior to its closure the film '' Equus'', starring Richard Burton, was shot here. After the closure of the hospital the property was also used as a filming location, notably being used in the movies '' Phobia'', ''Higher Education'', and ''Police Academy
A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or othe ...
'' as well as its sequels, '' Police Academy 3: Back in Training'' and '' Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol''. It was also the setting of Matheson Academy in the Netflix series Locke & Key (2020). SCTV’s McKenzie Bros. film, Strange Brew, was also filmed as an actual asylum scene in this classic comedy.
Humber College
In 1991, Humber College signed a 99-year lease on the property. The College then started renovating the cottages for use as offices and classrooms. By April 2015, all but the Administration building, known as Building G were renovated. This last cottage underwent restoration and was opened in September 2016 as the Centre for Entrepreneurship.Today
All of the cottages have been rebuilt by Humber College for their purposes. In 1999, the former Gatehouse was rebuilt and became a supportive centre for children. The former powerhouse now has an outdoor skating rink beside it and the building itself has change rooms and washrooms for those who wish to skate. The former Superintendent's residence is now part of the Jean Tweed Centre. The Assembly Hall was renovated in 2000 and opened to the public in 2001. It is now operated by the City of Toronto. The grounds are now open to the public as a park. ATim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service res ...
occupies the former Carriage House.
A new Welcome Centre was built and opened in September 2016. The Registrar's Office, Health and Career Services have been relocated in this new building.
Name
The hospital was opened as the Mimico Asylum, but changed names several times over the years, becoming the Mimico Insane Asylum in 1894, the Mimico Hospital for the Insane in 1911, the Ontario Hospital (Mimico) in 1920, the Ontario Hospital, New Toronto in 1934, before finally becoming the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital in 1964.Gallery
References
External links
New Toronto Historical Society: Mimico Asylum
The Assembly Hall
Police Academy
A brief history of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital
Lakeshore Grounds - Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital
The Story Unfolds
{{authority control 1979 disestablishments in Ontario Hospitals in Toronto Defunct hospitals in Canada Hospitals established in 1889 Hospitals disestablished in 1979 1889 establishments in Ontario Psychiatric hospitals in Ontario