The first permanent mental health facility in Upper Canada, the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, forerunner of the present Centre, was officially opened on January 26, 1850. It was housed in what was then a technically advanced building with central heating, mechanical ventilation and indoor plumbing designed to treat patients in a humane environment. The institution was ably managed by Dr. Joseph Workman, who earned an international reputation as a mental hospital administrator, from 1854 to 1875. Then, plagued by over-crowding and understaffing, it experienced declining standards, particularly in the decades following the First World War. It was revitalized when new community-based rehabilitative programs were introduced during the 1950s. To underscore this change, the old asylum was demolished in 1975-76 and the present Centre was completed in 1979.

Location

In the main lobby of the Queen Street Mental Health Centre, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto.

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Scientific and technological innovations