{"id":686,"date":"2006-04-11T17:15:58","date_gmt":"2006-04-11T21:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=686"},"modified":"2013-01-21T14:55:40","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T19:55:40","slug":"toronto-gaol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2006\/04\/11\/toronto-gaol\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Gaol"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

EDIT><\/strong> Reading Toronto<\/a> now has more\/better pictures of the jail now.<\/p>\n

“Father Time”, minding the front door. Very hairy and God-looking.
\n
\nThe old gallows area — outline can be still seen on walls. Witnesses would stand below. Scary. Last public execution in Canada here in 1962.
\n<\/p>\n

Iron asps holding up ceiling. The Victorians knew how to use imagery.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Front entrance, from behind. Interesting layers in the building — original building, then more modern (now old) electric wires and such.
\n
\nCentral atrium. Lit from above by huge skylight (now covered). Floggings took place at bottom as other prisoners looked on.
\n<\/p>\n

Cell graffiti. Counting down the days (years?). Cells are tiny. 3 feet wide.
\n<\/p>\n

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.
\n<\/p>\n

Looking north at the half-round Bridgepoint<\/a> hospital that will eventually be demolished (see it while you can!).<\/p>\n


\nThe half-round from outside.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. 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