This morning I went on a tour of the Don Jail, or Toronto Gaol. The old part, built in 1860s, closed in 1977. The “new” part is still full of the bad guys for the time being. We couldn’t go into the basement to see the shower area as there are still connecting doors between the old and new sections. Once we were in, we were locked in. Stay tuned, more on this in next week’s Stroll Column in Eye Weekly — but for now, some unskilled pictures I took of a rarely seen Toronto interior that will one day be a quasi-public space in the form of an expanded Bridgepoint hospital.
EDIT> Reading Toronto now has more/better pictures of the jail now.
“Father Time”, minding the front door. Very hairy and God-looking.
The old gallows area — outline can be still seen on walls. Witnesses would stand below. Scary. Last public execution in Canada here in 1962.
Iron asps holding up ceiling. The Victorians knew how to use imagery.
Front entrance, from behind. Interesting layers in the building — original building, then more modern (now old) electric wires and such.
Central atrium. Lit from above by huge skylight (now covered). Floggings took place at bottom as other prisoners looked on.
Cell graffiti. Counting down the days (years?). Cells are tiny. 3 feet wide.
Looking south through windows, covered in years of pigeon crap, at that suburban style KFC out on Gerrard. It stinks up the whole area with the KFC deep-fried meat smell. Smells like the mall and diabetes.
Looking north at the half-round Bridgepoint hospital that will eventually be demolished (see it while you can!).
The half-round from outside.
Then I walked back to Cabbagetown via the pedestrian bridge over the Don. The bridge was recently redone a few months, but has already been vandalized by people I wish were being flogged in the Toronto Gaol right now.
18 comments
Hi Shawn, we’ll run our photos of the visit on tomorrow’s readingtoronto.com. That this prison was still occupied in the late 70’s is a frightening truth. “Abandon hope all who enter here,” would be an appropriate caption to have above the door.
Robert Ouellette
Editor, Reading Toronto
How’d you arrange a trip like this, and is it not a subtle propaganda measure for Bridgepoint?
Thanks for the inside look Shawn. Have been curious about the place since the first time I went tobogganing on the nearby slopes – quite a contrast to incarceration methinks.
The images of the gallows ‘shadow’ and writing on the wall were particularly evocative.
Any chance this tour may happen again sometime?
Perhaps if renovated pedestrian bridges did not feature such drab surfaces, and were built in a less ugly style, taggers would not spray on them.
Fascinating tour of the gaol, though.
In my opinion, taggers would deface property no matter what.
Amazing look inside. I always thought the Don Jail looked so dreary; never thought it could contain interesting architectural features.
why don’t we just “repair” the bridge ourselves?
i’m thinking purple.
any takers?
Again with the attack on taggers? I like the flavour it brings, but if sterile cities is what you want then yes let’s flog them.
I took an architecture course in university where it was said that people vandalize things they find unattractive. I don’t know if that’s true, but I think it’s an interesting theory.
Those snake support beems are amazing. City hall should have those.
“Kill” = “Flavour”?
Taggers do not beautify ugly spaces – they make them even uglier! Grafitti I love – tagging is shit.
There is a difference between sharing your artistic vision with others, and defacing property because your Johnson is too small and a marker or spray paint can is the only tool you have at your disposal to leave your mark on the world. I think taggers should be rounded up, herded off, and maybe given some free education – then they may find a better way to leave a lasting impression on their communities!
Yes, “Flavour,” because “Kill” isn’t written in Clearview.
Agree to Disagree, I have heard your stance on tagging before, enjoy your sterile communities.
Hi Shawn,
I am really interested in visiting some cool buildings and going a tour to visit some heritage buildings in toronto! is that any way that i can get connection to join those tour?
Here are some shots I took of the interior a few years ago myself:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bytepusher/sets/72057594124714013/
The writing on the cell walls is a recent artifact of the use of this space as a movie location, there is no contemporary graffiti.
tram-1978
Hi Shawn: I am currently working on family history and stumbled upon your site, which I found fascinating. Those pictures are really incredible. The reason I was looking for info about the Don is, I suspect one of my husband’s great-grandfathers did time there. Do you know if there are archives of names of past “guests” there. If not, that’s okay. I was very surprised to see pictures of the inside. You did an excellent job. I had heard so many terrible things about the place growing up and remember all the talk back in 1962. Whatever the “hole” was, it was supposed to drive a man mad. Incredible history.
Thank you for sharing.
Debbie