History

General Info

Location

When the asylum ceased to operate in 1979, the address was 3131 Lakeshore Boulevard West, at the northeast corner of Lakeshore Boulevard West and Kipling Avenue, in the former City of Etobicoke, Ontario. When the asylum opened in 1889, it was located what was considered 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. Later still, Lakeshore Road was renamed, as it became 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 last address is not in use anymore, neither by Humber College nor The Gatehouse, which now occupy the site of the former asylum.

Years of Operation and the Official Names

The asylum opened on January 21, 1889 and closed down on September 1, 1979. It was originally known as the Mimico Branch Asylum, as it formed part of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum at 999 Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario. Between 1889 and 1979, it was also referred to as the Mimico Insane Asylum (renamed 1894, when it became a seperate institution), Ontario Hospital, Mimico (1920), and later Ontario Hospital, New Toronto (1934). In 1964, the name was changed again to Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. Unofficially, the hospital has been commonly referred to as a Lakeside Sanatorium, Lakeshore Asylum, Mimico Asylum and Lakeshore Hospital, along with the usual range of derogatory names associated with psychiatric hospitals, such as a nuthouse, looney bin, etc.

Years of Construction

The construction of the asylum started in 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 The Buildings. It is important to mention that keeping in tune with the philosophy of moral treatment advocated in asylums at that time, several patients from the Provincial Lunatic Asylum in Toronto were sent to Mimico in order to provide labour during the construction, free of cost to the Government of Ontario. 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.

The Architect and the Style

Kivas Tully, the Chief Provincial Architect at that time, was hired as the architect. He also designed a number of other famous structures in Toronto, including the Trinity College. Please refer to the Timeline for more detailed information. The asylum was built in the combination of the Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival styles.

The Asylum and Moral Treatment

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, quaint setting, an idea inspired by the newly emerging theory of moral treatment. It called for a segragation between those patients, who were chronically ill and the patients, who still had a chance of recovery. Mimico was chosen because it was located in a rural area, 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 otherwise been confined in a single, imposing asylum structure, like the one located at Queen Street West. It is also possible that since historically, mental health 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.

The Cemetery

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. 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 in the last five years restoration efforts have been made by a group of volunteers. Please consult the Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery Project.

The Closure in 1979 and the Aftermath

Despite an active protest of the staff, some 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 with regard to this decision.

The decision was inspired by the prevailing 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. 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 an antiquated relic of Canada’s Victorian past, with the most recent renovations having been done in the thirties.

After the closure, as it was the case with other psychiatric hospitals in Canada and abroad, 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, the Lakeshore Outpatient and Community Clinic was opened at 3170 Lakeshore Boulevard West and it continues the tradition of providing mental health services in New Toronto.

During the 1980s, the grounds were used by a number of film corporations to shoot movies, most famously Police Academy and the television series Night Shift, among others. 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.

The Tunnels

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 restricted access, and probably they were required to be accompanied by a member of the staff. When the asylum was first built, it was equipped with a miniature railway tracks, located in the tunnels, which were used to deliver food to individual wards from the main kitchen, located in the Central Building. 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.

The Ghosts

Some of the present staff and students of Humber College, which now occupies the site of the former hospital, claim that the former Cottages are, in fact, are visited on a regular basis by ghostly appearances. For more information, please go to Haunted or Not?

References:

Anonymous. “History of Ontario Hospital, New Toronto, Henceforth to be Known as Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital” [Unpublished, written by an unnamed patient with assistant of John Sutherland, Chief Attendant, c. 1964].
Beemer, Nelson. [Untitled letter]. March 22, 1909.
Court, John. “Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital–A Vital Part of the CAMH Legacy.” May 1, 2001.
Deverell, Rex. “The Assembly Hall: A Lakeshore Landmark, 1898–2001.” May 2001.
Gunn, Donald Ross. “Five Year Program.” Etobicoke: Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, 1971.
Hansen R. C. “Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Orientation Package.” Etobicoke: Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, c. 1972.
“It All Started Back in 1890.” Rapport February 1975.
Keefer, Alec. “Excerpt of Market Gallery Exhibition Didactics re Lakeshore.”
McKerrow, L.W. Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital: Submission to Committee on Mental Health Services, Ontario Council of Health. Etobicoke: Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, May 1978.
Melamet-Vetter, Walther. “The Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, A World of Its Own, Another Coocoo’s Nest, In New Toronto.” Toronto: July 1989.

All primary sources retrieved from the Archives for the History of Canadian Psychiatry and Mental Health Services, January 30 and April 21–22, 2005.

Additional Information

Please note that this section is intended to provde a quick reference about the history of the asylum. For more detailed information, please refer to the Timeline.

Images

Most likely the earliest photograph of the asylum.
Late nineteenth century.
Credit: Archives of Ontario.

Lakeshore Road, looking east.
The front of the asylum property is visible on the right.
Credit: City of Toronto Archives, Series 71, Item 6287.
1927.

Orderlies supervising male patients.
Early twentieth century.

Administration Building and the Cottages.
Early twentieth century.

Nurses supervising patients at the ladies’ pavilion.
Early twentieth century.
Outdoor activity, such as walks, were considered beneficial for patients under the regime of moral management.

Postcard depicting one of the cottages for male patients and the Administration Building.
1909.

Postcard of patients of the Mimico Asylum Cricket Club, playing cricket on the field located just south of the cottages, which housed the wards for female inmates.
1909.