Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital

The Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located in the town of New Toronto, Ontario (now part of the City of Toronto). The hospital grounds now form part of Humber College's Lakeshore Campus.HistoryThe hospital was built in 1888. as the Mimico Asylum. The doors officially opened on January 21, 1889.The original idea for the hospital's design of a cottage system was Doctor Joseph Workman who wanted a hospital that would not feel like an institution. The architect for the site was Kivas Tully, who worked with gardener Samuel Matheson, designed the original facility under the supervision of the Superintendent of the Queen Street Asylum, Dr. Daniel K. Clark.Most of the buildings were built by the patients themselves. Patients also helped with the laundry and tended to the gardens.The Assembly Hall, now operated by the City of Toronto, was built by the patients in 1898 as a recreation location for the patients, staff, and the public. Sunday worship services were also conducted at the Assembly Hall.The hospital also had its own cemetery, located in the vicinity of Evans Avenue and Horner Avenue. The cemetery contained the remains of 1,511 former patients of the hospital.A powerhouse for the site was built in the 1930s to provide heat for the cottages.After several decades of use, the hospital was renovated starting in 1959 by then superintendent, Doctor H.C Moorehouse.The site was closed as a hospital on September 1, 1979 with the last 280 patients being transferred to other sites. The decision to close the site was due to its needing to be renovated again. At its height in 1950, the hospital housed 1,391 patients.