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History
Frequently
Asked Questions
Lakeshore
Psychiatric Hospital
|| Asylum
by the Lake
Asylum
by the Lake
Lakeshore
Psychiatric Hospital
When
the hospital ceased to operate, the address was 3131 Lakeshore
Boulevard West, at the northeast corner of Lakeshore Boulevard West
and Kipling Avenue, in the former City of Etobicoke. The original
location of the hospital was in the western part of the village of
Mimico. Later, this area eventually became an industrial centre
called New Toronto in the 1890s and was subsequently incorporated as
a village in 1913. At that time, the address was 1007 Lakeshore
Road. Lakeshore Road was renamed as an extension of Lakeshore
Boulevard West and the address was changed to 3131 Lakeshore
Boulevard West. In 1967, New Toronto became part of the Borough (and
later, in 1984, City) of Etobicoke which was merged into the new
City of Toronto (Greater Toronto Area) in 1998. It is interesting to
note that the final address of the institution is not used anymore,
either by Humber College or the Gatehouse. (Thanks to Mr. Ron
McKinley for providing more information).
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The
construction of the asylum started in around 1881 and was completed
in 1889. Assembly Hall was built in 1897 and the Gatehouse in 1899.
For more information on the history of specific structures, prefer
refer to Buildings.
It is important to mention that the patients from the Provincial
Lunatic Asylum in Toronto, located at 999 Queen Street West, were
sent to Mimico in order to provide labour during the construction,
free of cost to the Government of Ontario. The doctors of that time
claimed that such supposedly meaningful, and, at the same time,
unpaid work, was a source of a very effective type of therapy. It
must also be noted that it was generally the poorest, working-class
patients, who were believed to benefit the most out of this type of
oppressive and exploitive treatment.
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When
it first opened on January 21, 1889, the asylum was designated as a
branch of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum. Dr. Joseph Workman, the
Medical Superintendent of this institution, envisioned an isolated
asylum, located in a rural, quant setting. an idea inspired by a
newly established theory of moral treatment. It encouraged a
segregation of the incurably insane from the patients, who still had
a chance of recovery from their mental maladies. Mimico was chosen
for its prevailing rural landscape, which offered tranquilized
country setting, yet it was still in a close proximity to Toronto.
Moreover, moral treatment encouraged outdoor activities, such as
farming, gardening and outdoor games, which was thought to benefit
patients, who would have been otherwise confined in a single,
imposing asylum structure, like the one located at Queen Street
West. It is also possible that since asylum patients were often a
target of public ridicule, the authorities thought that they would
be able to avoid it, at least as long as they stayed within the
grounds of the hospital. However, the authorities may have as well
wished to isolate the threat of public nuisance posed by some of the
most severely afflicted patients.
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Kivas
Tully, the
Chief Provincial Architect at that time, who also designed a number
of other famous structures in Toronto, including the Trinity
College.
Reportedly, he was proud of his achievement. Please refer to the Timeline
for more information.
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Where
were the patients buried? |
Patients
without any family and/or resources were buried to rest at the
asylum cemetery,
located at the corner of Evans and Horner Avenues, about five
kilometers north. Wooden coffins were made by patients at the asylum
carpentry shop and they did not receive any compensation for their
work, as it was believed to be a form of therapy. After the closure
of the hospital in 1979, the Government of Ontario, which is
responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery, abandoned it, and only
recently restoration efforts has been made by social activists; see Lakeshore
Asylum Cemetery Project.
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There
are several possible reason for the distant location of the
cemetery. The soil at the present site is of very poor quality and
probably the asylum's authorities wanted all the 125 acres of the
farm to be used by patients. Secondly, when the cemetery was set up,
the area between the site and the hospital was used for farming, but
gradually it was all sold to developers. Lastly, it is also possible
that the authorities simply did not want to have a cemetery near the
hospital as not to upset the patients. (Thanks to Mr. Ed Janiszewski
for providing this information).
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We
are an active group of volunteers whose goal is to restore,
preserve, and to draw the attention of the public and the provincial
government toward the current state of the cemetery. For more
information, please go to
Lakeshore
Asylum Cemetery Project.
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"LPH"
was used for Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital. To avoid confusion,
Lakeshore Psychiatric was referred to as "LSPH." Prior to
the hospital being called the "LSPH" it was known as the
"Ontario Hospital, New Toronto".
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Despite
an active protest of some staff, patients and their families, as
well as local residents, the hospital was closed down on September
1, 1979, following the decision of the Ministry of Health. Minister
of Health, Dennis R. Timbrell, made an announcement in his speech on
January 22, 1979.
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The
decision was inspired by the prevailing, mostly governmental,
philosophy of deinstitutionalization, which claimed that mental
health patients were able to benefit more by living in the community
as opposed to being committed to an institution. However, today it
is known that the process did not benefit the vast majority of
patients, since many of them became homeless. Furthermore, the issue
of funding for the continued operation of the mental hospital from
the government was also taken into consideration. At the time of the
closing, the hospital was seen as antiquated, with the most recent
renovations having been performed in the thirties.
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As
stated above, and as it was the case with other psychiatric
hospitals, many of the patients became homeless. The most severely
ill were transferred to the newly constructed Queen Street Mental
Health Centre (the former Provicial Lunatic Asylum), as well as
Whitby and Hamilton Psychiatric Hospitals, which remained opened.
Other patients were released and an outpatient
community psychiatric clinic
was established opened in Cottage
2.
Later Lakeshore
Outpatient Clinic (LSOP)
was opened at 3170 Lakeshore Boulevard West and it continues the
tradition of providing mental health services in New Toronto.
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Following
the closure of the hospital, an outpatient clinic opened in Cottage
2. Furthermore, during the eighties, the grounds were used by a
number of film corporations to shoot movies, including Police
Academy
and the series Night Shift. A history of each building is
more broadly covered in Buildings.
And as it is usually the case with many many
old, abandoned institutions, the structures quickly began to deteriorate,
often falling prey to frequent trespassing and ensuing
vandalism.
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The
underground tunnels were designed in order to quickly travel between
the various buildings, and were often used by staff during
unfavourable weather conditions. Patients probably had a restricted
access, and probably they were required to be accompanied by a
member of the staff. When the hospital was first built, it was
equipped with a miniature railway tracks, which were used to deliver
food to individual wards from the main kitchen, located in the
Central Building (demolished). It was removed in the thirties due to
its deteriorating condition. Today, the tunnels are still utilized
by the Humber College, accessible only to staff. (Thanks to Mr. Ed
Janiszewski for providing this information).
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Some
of the present staff and students of Humber College, which now
occupies the site of the former hospital, do claim that the Cottages
are, in fact, are visited on a regular basis by ghostly appearances.
For more information, please go to
Haunted?
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Until
late 2008, all of the old buildings, except buildings G (the former
Administrative Building), I (the former cottage 3), and K (the
former cottage 5) have been renovated. Since the site was designed
as a heritage property under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1988, the
exterior of the buildings have not been altered and in some cases,
even restored (for example, the wooden verandahs in the front of
some of the cottages) . However, the interior of all the restored
buildings has been dramatically changed in order to accommodate
Humber College.
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Humber
College, due to safety of the students, does not have an "open
door" policy, so if you actually go inside the buildings, you
might be charged with trespassing, and there is plenty of security
guards around. If you are considering breaking into the buildings
awaiting renovations, think twice! Security patrols the property
twenty four hours a day. Also, there are numerous health hazards if
you enter the building, including mould, asbestos, and pigeon guano,
just to name a few. There are ways of seeing the interior of the
buildings, however: watch the first and third film in the series of
the Police
Academy, you will actually see more than you
think! Lastly, the school occasionally hosts community related
events, when everyone is invited, so you might be able to take a
look around, although the interiors of the renovated buildings have
been completely reconfigured to meet the needs of the school.
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As
of today, probably not, since as of summer 2009, construction
started on the buildings awaiting renovations. However, back in
2006, I contacted Sue Darroch, senior investigator and researcher at
Toronto
Ghosts and Hauntings Society,
visited Cottages 1 and 2 (building H) back in 2002, and our
correspondence revealed that there were "beds, photographs,
bits of clothing, tables, chairs, various other bits of furniture
and bric brac, some medical equipment, patients drawings still on
the walls, marked calendars, books, and even old files lying about
in various states of decay. That was, of course, aside from the
garbage and other items more easily attributed to a homeless
encampment." These buildings remained in operation after the
closure of the hospital because they housed the newly established
outpatient clinic. Administration Building, located in the centre of
the cottages, looks empty from the outside, so only Cottages 3 and 5
may contain something left behind. One young woman, who grew up in
the neighbourhood, said that she went inside the buildings about
sixteen years ago. The doors were opened, so she entered along with
her brother. Despite being scared, they were equally curious, as
they had heard various legends about the former asylum. Together,
they went upstairs and they noticed an old bed, a nurse’s old hat,
and a smashed red closet. Also, all the time the building was making
"scary" noises, which echoed in the long abandoned wards
(however, it is commonly known that all old buildings make allegedly
"unexplained" sounds). At the same time, correspondence
with Ian Smith, the principal of the Lakeshore Campus, reveals
however, that there is nothing left in the old buildings:
"everything was removed years before Humber College acquired
the site."
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There
is a historical memorial entitled "Third Garden", located
near the Assembly Hall, on the site of the former asylum garden.
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Please
contact Lakeshore
Asylum Cemetery Project.
They have detailed records of all the patients buried in the
cemetery and will be able to assist you.
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All
patient records of the hospital are located at the Archives
of Ontario.
Please contact them in order to make inquiries regarding the
access.
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Asylum
by the Lake
It
originated as a form of therapy and result of my never-ending
curiosity, when I
lived in New Toronto and walked by the site of the former hospital
every day as a Grade 12 student of Lakeshore Collegiate Institute. I
started to conduct some research during the summer of 2004, and I
thought that I should share my findings on the Internet. I decided
to publish it online, since not too much valid information is
available, aside, of course, from ghost stories.
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I'm
an undergraduate student at the University of
Toronto, St. George
Campus, member of Psychiatric
Survivor Archives, Toronto,
and I sometimes think that one day I will become a librarian.
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This
web site looks from an anti-psychiatric perspective, which, in
general is
critical of the discipline of psychiatry and its medical treatments
of mental illness. However, this research endeavor attempts to remain as
open-minded as possible, keeping in mind the long history and
heritage of the hospital.
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Me.
Please refer to the Credits
if you have any questions.
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Please
send all inquires to agatha.barc@utoronto.ca.
Before you decide to contact me, please make sure that your question
has not been found on this site, which also illustrates the extend
of my knowledge.
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Please
send any information you may have to agatha.barc@utoronto.ca.
It will be greatly appreciated, and all proper credits will be
acknowledged on this web site.
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Certainly.
Please send me an e-mail to agatha.barc@utoronto.ca
with your information or in order to download my banner, please
click here.
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In
the future, I plan to conduct more research at the Archives
of Ontario
and to collect more stories from the former patients, if possible.
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