Sitting by the shores of Lake Ontario is the imposing buildings of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. Built in 1888, combined two styles of Mental hospitals at the time, the Kirkbride Style, prevalent throughout the US, and Cottage Style, found in Canada. The two created a large brick buildings in which formed a quad, and the wings were all seperated from each other.
Originally opened under the name Mimico Lunatic Asylum, located in the village of Mimico east of Toronto. It served as a branch of the Queen Street Mental Hospital, which is still active as the Center for Addiction and Mental Health). By 1911 it had been renamed to the Mimico Hospital for the Insane, and then again in 1919 became the Ontario Hospital, New Toronto. Finally being renamed to the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital.
It opened it's doors to 10 patients in 1889, sent to prepare the hospital for the coming influx of clients. The assembly hall was built in 1897 built entirely by the patients at the hospital, as the head of the hospital during this period, Dr. Beemer, believed that this work helped Rehabilitate the patients. Like other asylum workers of the time, they received no pay for their work.
By the 1930s the entire place had fallen into disrepair, this continued until 1959 when a new administrator, Dr. HC Moorhouse revitalized the entire facility. Twenty years later, the hospital closed its doors for good.
The property and buildings were acquired by Humber College in 1991, by 1995 four of the buildings were renovated and reopened. In 1999 funding from the government allowed the college to continue the restoration for reuse of the remaining structures. The interiors of the buildings have been completely revamped for safety and technology purposes, but the exteriors have been restored to their historical look.
This particular story has a happy ending, where the buildings of historical significance become useful again, and retain their historical air to them.
This is the former power station of the hospital, it's now a community center.