Haunted Toronto 

Humber College/ The Old Mimico Insane Asylum

My dad told me a story once, on how when he was a child his grandfather (my great grandfather), were walking by the Mimco Insane Asylum. My dad remembers being with his grandfather one day at the site and one of the patients approached him. My dad, as any child would be, was scared out of his mind, but the patient just came to say hi to my great grandfather for no reason, but to say hi. That is the feeling many of us have when we are around asylums. We get scared, because of the image we have grown up with. However, that doesn’t even begin to compare to the fear of studying and living in and around a former asylum. 

The asylum opened in 1889 at 3131 Lakeshore Blvd West and closed in 1979 (an address that is no longer used by any of the buildings). It was designed by Kivas Tully who for all you U of T students should know him as the guy who designed Trinity College (another haunted building - hm possible trend?). The buildings have elements of Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles.

The site was originally chosen because it gave off a peaceful country like setting for the patients which was good for so called Moral Treatments where patients would garden and work outdoors as well as play sports. 

In 1979 the asylum closed because of deinstiutionalization the belief that mentally ill patients can recover by participating and living in their community rather than being confined. Sadly this led to mass homelessness and some patients had no where else to go but back to the abandoned building.

Also there are tunnels under the asylum, which allowed for quick travel between the buildings and during intense whether. These tunnels were only used by the doctors…Today the tunnels are still in use today by Humber College Staff! 

Now students, staff and construction workers have all reported odd/ unexplained things. Some student report that the former cottages are haunted by patients. Another report came from an electrician who refused to return to a room he was working in after he said he saw a ghost moving across the floor. Other people have reported lights turning on and off and a faceless nurse who walks in dimly lit corridors.

Also there are reports of creepy and disturbing things that may have happened back in the asylum days. Apparently under the former orchard along Lakeshore there is a mass grave of aborted fetuses and children of patients. However, some of the children were buried at the asylum cemetery. Another is that the Smokestack known as the Powerhouse burned bodies of dead patients and under Cottage Four there was once a morgue. Also like many old asylums back then, many of the patients went through electroconvulsive therapy, insulin shock, were put in straight jackets, and had lobotomy’s performed on them. 

So the question then is who haunts Humber College? Is it a nurse? is it the bodies of the aborted children or tortured souls? Or is it the patients who simply had no where to go after the asylum closed and stay there because it is the only place they belonged? You have to understand that many of these patients may have returned simply because the asylum was all they knew and therefore many may have simply died here. However, nothing of that nature has been confirmed here, but has happened across the world. 

Images Blog TO and http://www.asylumbythelake.com/images/

Why I Love Toronto Reason #340

Chinatown

Chinatown is really fun to walk through. The area has a number of shops selling odd knick-knacks/ souvenirs you’d probably only find in China or other Asian countries and some really tacky but loveable Toronto souvenirs in addition to Chinese movies and cds and Hello Kitty items –there are always Hello Kitty Items. There are also a number of restaurants that display ducks and other odd cooked creatures in their front window, Karaoke venues and grocery like stores that put their fruits, vegetables and other food outside on the sidewalk for people passing by to examine. They even have herbal shops where you can learn how to make some natural healing remedies.   

The boundaries of the area are Spadina Ave between College and Queen and East and West of Spadina Ave on Dundas. It is the biggest Chinatown in the city (the other Chinatown is around the Don called Chinatown 2). However, the present Chinatown took a few years to get to where it is today. West of Nathan Philips Square is a plaque that notes the first Chinese resident was a man named Sam Ching who owned a laundry business in 1878 and who was joined by other Chinese immigrants after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The first Chinatown was between Elizabeth Street and extended to Queen around 1910 when the number of Chinese Torontonians grew to over 1,000 residents. However in 1955 the area closed to make room for the new City Hall which caused a number of difficulties for many businesses who could not afford to move and it meant a number of residents has to relocate their homes to where Chinatown is today.  So much moving gosh!

Regardless I think Chinatown is in a perfect area today. There are many things to love including the overwhelming number of signs that bombard the area, but hey it makes you feel like you are truly in an Asian city. Pho Hung is there as well as a number of other amazing restaurants. Next to the Streetcar tracks there are these two red poles with what to me has always looked like a number of animals in the form of a dragon on the top of them, which I think is a staple art sculpture in the area. There is the occasional street vendor and they have a festival ever year that closes down a portion of Spadina. The Bright Pearl Restaurant is like landmark in the area and is photographed by a lot of tourists and of course the Dragon City Shopping Mall that is located on Dundas Street and Spadina which is a hot spot for younger Chinese population.  

All in all for any tourist that visits the city I believe that Chinatown definitely has to be on that to visit list and if you are a Toronto resident and haven’t been then shame on you – just saying.

That is Why I Love Toronto.

http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/06/inside_dragon_city_mall/

http://www.toronto-chinatown.info/cgi-bin/DJgallery.cgi?INDEX=1&MAX=1000&T=chinatown-photos.html&ZONE=TORONTO#

http://www.torontoplaques.com/Pages_STU/Torontos_First_Chinatown.html

Why I Love Toronto Reason #276

Churches Being Turned into Condos/ Lofts

Yes I know Toronto’s Condo/ Loft market is getting out of hand. I mean they have condos popping up right next to the Gardiner expressway – so close that if a car ran into and broke the median you would have a car in your living room or from another perspective you could jump onto the highway from your balcony.  Now I will do a post on my favorite condominium buildings in the near future, but today I want to do Churches that have been turned into condominiums/ lofts. This is definitely becoming a huge craze in our city and I think it may be a tad sacrilegious.

I have to say though it is a cool concept. I mean church attendance is declining which means more churches are joining together. Instead of demolishing these abandoned Churches they are being converted and allowing people to live in the some of the most beautiful historical building this city has to offer.  So even though it may not be the right place for vampire to live because the faucets might spew out holy water and there may be some hidden crosses somewhere, I think these homes are perfect for those who love architecture and history. Below I’m going to give you my top 4 church converted condo/ lofts and briefly give you a history and some of their selling features.  

     Abby Church Lofts

Located in the High Park Area this church has some pretty awesome selling features. Get this - vaulted wood ceilings, original stained glass windows, exposed stone and brick walls, plus it has a look out from the bell tower and twisting staircases!! – I’m having an architectural orgasm right now – I’m not sure if that’s weird to say considering I’m talking about a church, but to I am. Anyways the church was built in 1910 and is absolutely stunning it almost looks like you could be living in a castle. Did I mention THE ORIGINAL STAINED GLASS?

    The Church Lofts

This neo-gothic gem was built in 1906 and is located at 701 Dovercourt and also has its original stained glass. What I love are the squished in balconies and the wood patio on top of the church which brings you a stunning view. It boasts to a restoration of the masonry, limestone, wood doors, and period light fixture.  It has this amazing quad that beams in sunlight from the most beautiful skylight I have ever seen.

     The Channel Club

Everyone has seen this church condo and they probably still thinks it is a church - I know I did until now. This condo is right on the corner of College and Bathurst and I mean right on the corner. If you ever get off the 511 streetcar at college it drops you off right in front. I just thought I’d mention that one because I always thought it was just a cool church in Little Italy.  

      St. George On Sheldrake Lofts

Once the Eglinton United Church, this 1923 building by Horwood and White (they also worked with Edmund Burke) was turned into lofts in 2001. The exterior is said to be a tribute to Oxford University’s Keeble College and has units as big as 4000 square feet.  The building welcomes you with these noteworthy dark coloured doors as well as intense brickwork. Of course it also has cathedral ceilings.

More and more Church Condo/Lofts are popping up in the tdot and I’m really excited that architects are bringing the old and placing a modern twist on it. Remember my Heritage Modernization Theory – not demolishing old building but converting them to the modern world. It is happening Toronto and these condo/ lofts are some of the nicest condo/ loft buildings in the city. Now the question if you live in an old church do church rules still apply? Like no swearing? All question that will be answered in time.

That is why I Love Toronto. 

http://www.torontolife.com/daily/informer/gimme-shelter/2011/12/02/condomonium-384-sunnyside-avenue-unit-309/attachment/dec11hotwsunnyside_23/

http://www.gracecondos.com/Listing.aspx?lid=20860&areaid=44

http://www.torontolofts.ca/loft254_church203.html

http://www.mrloft.ca/Loft-Buildings/Church-Lofts-701-Dovercourt-Rd-Toronto

Why I Love Toronto Reason #236

Oddfellows Hall (Now a Starbucks on the Corner of Yonge and College)

Now when I walk up or down Yonge I usually walk on the east side of Yonge Street and it may be because there is more shopping on the west side therefore more traffic or the fact that I love looking at College Park. Anyways so when I’m walking I always see this Starbucks on the corner of Yonge and College and I’ve always loved the fire escape and the tower– that was always the highlight of this building for me. Anyways after my Saturday night which I have blogged about for the last 3 days, I did something different. I walked on the west side of the street. So this is my west side story (sorry, I had to). Anyways I was standing on the corner of Yonge and College (west side) debating whether or not to go to Fran’s for some eggs. Then I noticed the building that the Starbucks was in and all the detailing it had on the College side. That’s when I knew there had to be some history. Then as I crossed the street I noticed a plaque that said OddFellows Hall 1891.

This hall was built for the International Order of Odd Fellows or IOOF a secret society that consisted of men just like our favorite Masons! They have their roots to 1745 England, with the goal of helping each other and those less fortunate in their society. Today there are around 5,000 lodges for the IOOF around the world.

The building on the corner of Yonge and College dates back to 1891 and opened in 1893 by Norman Dick and Frank Wickson. The inspiration of the building was a Medieval Castle which you can see on the Yonge portion of the building which has the two towers. I personally can see the fair maiden looking over the kingdom or medieval snipers with their bows and arrows getting ready to attack an approaching enemy. But in terms of architecture, let’s look at a few other things. Heritage Toronto notes that it has French Gothic features. On the College side the three windows at the top are beautiful. They are very pointed which makes them seem serious and hostel which makes me think that if it was a castle it would be one of great reign over the lands.  When the building opened people were fascinated by the fact it has an elevator run by electricity. Many also note its ornamented corbels, tracery detailing and barrel vaulted ceilings.

Now the order would hold what some websites say their “mystical meetings” (which I doubt is related to witchcraft) on the top floors, while there was CIBC (What is with CIBC leaving beautiful old buildings?) at the bottom as well as a tobacconist and something called the Men’s Toilet Club. There is even one report that the third floor eventually became a painting studio for the Group of Seven. Now we all know the CIBC moved out (probably to Church and Carlton) and today we have a Starbucks, while the upper levels where the secret meetings were held are rented to businesses and the great hall which now houses a Yoga Studio.

So what about the future of this building? Well of course like most buildings in the city it may be incorporated into a condo complex! Now the buildings next to the hall (The Hoops, RBC, some other random places) have been purchased by Canderel Stoneridge. Now there are rumours of a 60 storey condo will eventually be going up, and there is even a rendering of it. However, since the Hall is heritage it can’t be touched, but it just goes with my Heritage Modernization theory.

So for being a small/ inspired version of the a castle and hosting the Men’s Toilet Club (which I still can’t figure out what the F that is), the OddFellows Hall is

Why I Love Toronto.

http://www.heritagetoronto.org/news/story/2010/05/20/building-orders

http://torontobuildings.wordpress.com/page/13/

http://www.simplycondos.com/Historic%20Tour/ioof.htm

Why I Love Toronto Reason #235

The Inside Of Fickle Restaurant  

So on Saturday night after I had departed from the Delta Chelsea at around 2am, I decided that I was not going to wait for the Yonge Night Bus to take me up to Bloor, so I decided to take a walk up Yonge Street in the middle of the night and did I meet some interesting characters! However, I digress. As I was walking I was captivated by this green light that was radiating from this building just a bit north of Yonge and College. I went up to it and it was this restaurant called Fickle.

I have never heard of this restaurant or been in it, but it is absolutely amazing. The restaurant has a very modern design and this thing in the middle of it that is kind of in the shape of a really large funnel. Anyways instead of this funnel shaped thing being completely solid it has a patterns of hearts carved into it. Inside this patterned structure is what I assume to be light that emits different colours such as green, blue, silver and purple. Now being in the middle the light shines throughout the whole restaurant and as it does it shines the pattern on the walls. I can’t explain it so I’ll let the picture tell you the story. Anyways, intoxicated me was just staring inside this restaurant and looking at this beautiful pattern that was on the three walls and ceiling. Now I’m no light expert, so I’m not sure how this actually works or how it is able to do this, but it just an amazing light display.

Now for those of who would like to try the restaurant it serves Vietnamese, Thia and Chinese Cuisine. DineTO even calls the atmosphere romantic – oh la la.

So if you’re ever walking up/ down Yonge and you’re in the College area, I say you check out the light display of this restaurant because it is truly a treat.  

That Is Why I Love Toronto

Why I Love Toronto Reason #13 

The Fact That Humber College`s Lakeshore Campus was once the Mimico Asylum 

Yes, it is back to school season and I thought it would be fitting to mention Humber College! Now I don`t go to Humber but I love the fact that its lakeshore campus used be on the grounds of the old Mimico Asylum! And you know how much I love History!! 

Now I love the former Mimico Asylum for its history, architecture and ghost stories (and just to let you know in the month of October I will be doing a haunted Toronto Week!!). However, there is way to much history to talk about for just one blog so here are some of the key facts that make me love this site and its history

The asylum opened in 1889 at 3131 Lakeshore Blvd West and closed in 1979 (an address no longer used by the gatehouse or Humber). It was designed by Kivas Tully who for all you U of T students should know him as the guy who designed Trinity College. The buildings have elements of Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles.

The site was originally chosen because it gave off a peaceful country like setting for the patients which was good for the so called Moral Treatments where patients would garden and work outdoors as well as play sports. 

In 1979 the asylum closed because of deinstiutionalization the belief that mentally ill patients can recover by participating and living in their community rather than being confined. Sadly this led to mass homelessness and some patients had no where else to go but back to the abandoned building.

Also the tunnels of asylum, which allowed for quick travel between the buildings and during intense whether was only used by the doctors…Today the tunnels are still in use by Humber College Staff! COOL!

Lastly, The Ghosts! like i said i`ll do a more in depth ghost week in october with ghost stories in toronto but it is said the former cottages are haunted by the patients. Are they the ones that had no where to go and returned?

I love the fact that Humber has kept the old buildings, unlike one university in toronto. But The history, the stories, the architecture are 

Why I Love Toronto

ALL IMAGES AND INFORMATION FROM

http://www.asylumbythelake.com/history/info.html