Queen Street Mental Health Centre

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted April, 2004

On the west facing wall at the entrance to the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health at 1001 Queen Street West you will find two Ontario Heritage Trust plaques, one in English, one in French, which say:

Plaque coordinates: 43.643987 -79.418675

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.

Related Toronto plaque
Memorial Wall Plaques Dedicated to Patient Labourers

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Medical Buildings

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Posted December 8, 2011
This building no longer stands, and the plaques have been removed while new construction takes place. Meantime, a new series of historical plaques has been erected around the historic perimeter walls. See the link to "Memorial Wall Plaques Dedicated to Patient Labourers" above. -Wayne

Posted December 3, 2011
I was a patient there in 1969. Was about 14 yrs. old. There were many good times as well as horrible ones. To this day I still tihink about Was a pt. at in that hosp. when I had TB. was about 14 yrs. old. The staff were very good to us. Have some memories as well as bad ones. Food was good, it was clean but there were some pts. who were there that I wish I had never met. yuks.

Posted October 3, 2011
I remember the address rather than the proper name "999 Queen Street". My mother would always tell my sister that she (my sister) would one day wind up at "999 Queen St". When ever we did not do exactly as we were told my mother would threaten to send us there!! There are were days as a child I really thought we would be better off at "999 Queen Street"... it was only several years later that I finally found out what was at this address. Sad story short... my sister nor I were ever taken there, but my mother did manage to drive my father to the mental health facility a number of times.

Posted September 11, 2011
My Gr. Aunt was a patient there, and died there in 1951 . My mother and Grandmother talked about it quite a lot. I believe my mother used to visit her and told horrible stories. Is it possible to confirm that she was a patient and how she died?

Posted April 19, 2011
I know this hospital well, my parents worked there, we lived on the adjoining st. I went through the old building before it was torn down (rather horrific to say the least) and the new building. I see that new building s are going up on the gounds now...what is being built and is the hospital still present on the gorunds?

Posted January 6, 2011
I remember as a youngster, me and my classmates visited here on a class trip when the old building was still standing. We got quite an interesting tour, and when we went to a seminar afterwards, I was sure I heard someone laughing crazily. I also remember, in the late 60s or early 70s, there was a campaign to keep, if not the entire structure, then at least the dome and staircase from the old building.

Posted September 24, 2010
To get rid of the old moniker and the dark ages image the address of the "hospital" was changed in 1998 to "1001 Queen St. West", which is the block address of the newly renovated outpatient clinics. However, the registered address (and location of the main entrance) remains "999 Queen St. West".

Posted May 4, 2009
As a kid I remember people would commonly refer to its address rather than the proper name. "999 Queen Street". I think the address has changed as well.

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