CAMH Redevelopment Update: Preserving CAMH’s historic boundary wall

Above photo courtesy of Wayne Adam

With our Queen Street Redevelopment Project, CAMH is creating an urban village ꟷ a safe and welcoming space where social attitudes towards mental health will be positively changed and patients will recover with dignity and respect.

Our vision for this urban village includes a mix of CAMH and non-CAMH spaces that are inter-connected by a network of public streets, paths and sidewalks that integrate seamlessly with the surrounding neighbourhood. Integral to the village concept is the inclusion of more green and open spaces, public art and the preservation of historic landmarks.

As we continue to make progress on this phase of the redevelopment project, previously approved preservation work on the north east section of our historic boundary wall has begun.

As part of this scheduled work, a small section of the north east wall will be removed in order to accommodate a new roadway that will eventually connect Stokes Street with Shaw Street, while increasing pedestrian access.  The remainder of the north section of the east wall is scheduled for preservation in order to ensure the historic integrity, long-term stability and appearance of the structure.  As part of our commitment to conservation, bricks previously removed from the wall will be used to replace bricks that are crumbling and structurally unstable. We anticipate that all work on the north east wall will be complete in early October.

A Brief History of the Wall

In 1851, CAMH, then known as the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, was partially enclosed on three sides by a 10-foot wall made of brick, stone foundation and capped piers.

In 1861, a wall along with south side was added. Subsequently, the original east and west walls were moved to their present locations in conjunction with our site’s boundary re-allocation in 1889.

Patients of the Asylum were instrumental in the wall’s construction as part of their therapy at the time.  The work of these patients was commemorated in 2010 with nine plaques made in cooperation by the Psychiatric Survivor Archives of Toronto, CAMH, Friends of the Archives, and many donors. These plaques can be found around the interior of the wall.

In 1997, CAMH’s historic wall and two workshop buildings were designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural value and in 2006, CAMH entered into a Heritage Easement Agreement with the City, which outlined CAMH’s responsibility to ensure the structure’s preservation and to control approved demolition where required.

CAMH has adopted Parks Canada’s Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada to inform our approach to the conservation of the historic wall.  More information about CAMH’s plan for the historic wall can be found in our Heritage Report. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas about redevelopment, please contact redevelopment.feedback@camh.ca.