House of Industry

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

This symmetrical building, here on the southwest corner of Elm and Elizabeth streets, has a 1988 Toronto Historical Board plaque on site which gives us this information:

Plaque coordinates: 43.656804 -79.386150

A building for Toronto's historic House of Industry was erected on this site in 1848. Designed by William Thomas, it was later enlarged by architects Joseph Sheard (1858) and E.J. Lennox (1898). This charitable institution had been founded in 1837 to provide permanent and temporary lodging as well as food and fuel to the needy in the community, who often were required to do chores in return for help. To meet changing times, in 1947 the building was made into a home for the elderly renamed Laughlen Lodge after Arthur and Frances Laughlen long-time Superintendents. When new senior citizens' housing was constructed 1975-83, in association with the Rotary Club of Toronto, this north section of the old House of Industry was preserved as part of the Rotary-Laughlen Centre.

Related Toronto plaques
Joseph Sheard Parkette
House of Providence

Related Ontario plaque
Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge

More
Institutional buildings

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted December 27, 2011
Studying the House of Industry in Toronto and I would love to interview anyone who had relative that stayed in the House of Industry please contact me andrea.regan@rci.rogers.com

Posted March 30, 2011
I remember looking down at this building from the window of the 5th floor at Sick Kids. I went to see it today and they have taken the plaque down. That's a shame, I hope they put the plaque back up after the renovations are completed.

Posted March 23, 2011
my family,,,,,,Sara and George Gillespie lived here in 1851...after the potato famine

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