Location: Gerrard and Broadview
Date photo taken: 6 April 2016
The recent renovation and cleaning of the Don Jail has returned the Italianate building to its original grandeur. When it opened in 1864 it was the largest jail in North America and represented a new attitude toward the treatment of inmates. Prison reform at the time called for prisoners to do more than sit in their cells. They were expected to take fresh air, to work and to be afforded opportunities for bettering themselves through access to education. Over the years conditions at the prison deteriorated, due in large part to overcrowding and changes in attitude. A new prison building was constructed on the site in the 1950s but conditions remained so poor in the original building that it was eventually closed in 1977. The newer building ceased to function in 2013 and has since been demolished.
The 1864 building has undergone cleaning and extensive restoration and now operates as the Administrative Building for the adjacent Bridgepoint Health Centre. It is open to the public from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Numerous historical plaques have been placed throughout the building, allowing anyone interested to take their own self-guided tour. This information is also available on Bridgeport's
website.
Visit the Toronto library's
digital archive for pictures of the Don Jail over the years.
