The historic Don Jail, an architectural icon for the City of Toronto, will be preserved and incorporated into the design of the new campus. A building rich in its history will continue to make history, moving from a site of incarceration to a site of innovation.
Key Features Being Preserved
Built in 1864, the historic Don Jail is one of the few remaining buildings of its time. The exterior of the Jail will be preserved and linked to the new hospital by a modern glass bridge. On the interior, the main focal point of the building, the rotunda, will be restored to its original architectural beauty. The glass floor, which was built over at some point in history, will be uncovered and the skylight, which was tiled over, will be re-exposed allowing natural light to pour into the rotunda.
The historic Don Jail’s main entrance and rotunda will be publicly accessible, and for the first time since its closure in 1977, visitors will once again walk beneath 'Father Time' as they enter the building. The dramatic rotunda will serve as a public gallery space and will be an important focal point for community uses, hospital events, public heath-related announcements and lectures.
On the second level, walkways run the circumference of the rotunda and are held up by wrought-iron gargoyles (dragons and snakes). The walkways, the gargoyles and the wrought-iron railings along the walkways will all be preserved. As well, a group of cells in the basement and the gallows will be retained in their original state for historical purposes.
To communicate the significance and heritage value of the historic Don Jail building, interpretive displays and educational devices will be prominently located within the building. These may include photographic and textual interpretive displays of actual artifacts retrieved from the building or site. These elements will be prominently displayed at the building’s main entrance and throughout the interior of the building.