Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques

2004 - Now in our 15th Year - 2019

To see what's new on this site, you can visit the Home Page

Looking at this page on a smartphone?
For best viewing, hold your phone in Landscape mode (Horizontal)

The Gate House at the Don Jail

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2016

Here on the Bridgepoint Hospital site at the Gate House on Gerrard Street, west of Broadview Avenue, can be found this plaque. Here's what it says:

Coordinates: 43.665277 -79.353883

The gate house marked the entry to the Don Jail on the east side of the driveway. Wooden gateposts mark the west side. At one time, a wooden fence surrounded the entire site. This was to keep inmates working on the jail's farm from escaping.

The gate house was completed in 1865. At first, it was a modest, one-storey structure that served as the post for the jail's Gatekeeper. It is unclear whether the Gatekeeper was a permanent position. It may have been a role held by various turnkeys or head guards. The turnkeys controlled access to the property and to different parts of the jail. They lived in cottages near the jail's east wing.

A few years after the jail opened, a Deputy Governor was hired to assist the governor. The gate house became the Deputy Governor's residence. By 1879, an addition was built in the Second Empire style, notable for its mansard roof. It gives the building a modest, domestic appearance, in contrast to the forbidding grandeur of the jail.

In 2012, the Phillip Aziz Centre renovated the house for use as the administrative offices of Emily's House.

Related Toronto plaque
The Don Jail 1859-1864

Here is a map and a list of all the plaques on the Bridgepoint Hospital site. Links to the plaques can be found below.
Bridgepoint Site Map
Bridgepoint Plaque List

Links to plaques on the Bridgepoint Hospital site
History of the Bridgepoint Hospital Site
Doctors & Nurses
The Evolution of Healthcare Services
The Exercise Yards at the Don Jail
The Governor's House at the Don Jail
The Landscape: Scadding's Property
Life: A Mosaic Tile Mural
Riverdale Hospital

More
Institutional Buildings

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

(none yet)

Here's where you can send me a comment for this page.

Note: Your email address will be posted at the end of your comment so others can respond to you unless you request otherwise.

Note: Comments are moderated. Yours will appear on this page within 24 hours (usually much sooner).

Note: As soon as I have posted your comment, a reply to your email will be sent informing you.

To send me your comment, click [email protected].

Thanks
Webmaster

Note: If you wish to send me a personal email, click here.