Saturday Morning Walk

KC and I started our morning with a walk.

We passed by this interesting building on Queen Street W (at Ossington). In it's day many years ago, it was a fine home on the outskirts of the City owned by a rich family.

When I moved to Toronto 20 years ago, it was a rooming house with a seedy bar (the flat part in the back) and stayed that way for many years. It's been closed for about three years and is for lease. It's sad that it's lost its former glory.

We live near the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). It takes up a lot of space (27 acres) so it's a big block to walk around. Plus they have a grounds that offers lots of stuff for KC to sniff.

The space the CAMH is on has been home to a mental health facility for more than 150 years. In 1850, the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, as it was then known, first opened its doors. Throughout the years there have been numerous name changes ... the Toronto Lunatic Asylum, the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, "999 Queen Street" and the Queen Street Mental Health Centre.

Architect John Howard's "Provincial Lunatic Asylum" as it would have appeared in the 19th century.

These buildings have since been knocked down and replaced. They are currently rejuvenating it again.