The abandoned 19th century Toronto Prison is about to have a major transformation. A local piece of history is about to be brought back to life after a generation of disuse as a new proposal unveils a plan to restore the last intact building of the long-lost Toronto Central Prison complex in the Liberty Village neighborhood. Plans call for it to be transformed into a brand new art gallery.
The former Toronto Central Prison Chapel located at 70 East Liberty Street for more than 140 years was built during its brief 42-year existence as a Roman Catholic chapel serving the notoriously brutal correctional facility.
The chapel is the most prominent remaining piece of the Toronto Central Prison which was demolished more than a century ago.
Ontario News reports that after the prison closed in 1915, the complex and the chapel building became part of an army base with barracks and training grounds for the duration of World War I until 1920 when most of the former prison complex was demolished.
A public park now surrounds the chapel and the preserved prison wall.
The surviving 1880 chapel was later incorporated into the Inglis factory that dominated Liberty Village for most of the 20th century.
When heavy industry declined and hit the area hard, the former prison site became a contaminated wasteland.
The chapel and an attached northern prison wall were listed as a historic monument in 1996 and this spared them from demolition in the wave of redevelopment that would soon sweep the area.
By the late 20th century, the city had begun to plan a new community to convert the unused lands surrounding the surviving chapel building into what is now the thriving King-Liberty Village.
During the neighborhood's transformation, the building stood boarded up and the chapel stood out like a sore thumb from the park that surrounded it. It's turn to shine has finally come.
A plan by the Pegasus Group to open a Miller Tavern in the building fell through in the early 2010's, but a new plan in November aimed to restore the old building and make it a home for a new art gallery.
The Pegasus Group has again presented plans for a restoration of the building with a less drastic approach led by Paul Marques Architect. They would rehabilitate the existing heritage site and create a new public art gallery.
The plans would include the following:
- Repairs and minor modifications
- Exterior renovations
- Exterior lighting
- New windows
- All designed in keeping with the character of the existing architecture
The proposed art gallery in the plans do not mention too many details but will include:
- Bar and kitchenette
- Outdoor terrace to be used for seasonal gallery purposes
- Open floor plan for art exhibitions on the second floor
- Supporting gallery offices on the upper floor
- Architectural uplighting to emphasize preserved features
Pegasus got a very good deal on buying the land by getting it early in the area's redevelopment. In the late 1990's, the city had subleased the building's space under a renovation agreement and turned it over to Pegasus for the incredibly low price of $1 per HST per year. For 99 years! No wonder they were able to sit on the property for so long.
