Prisons To Condos: The Transformation Of Toronto’s Liberty Village (VIDEO)

There was even a battle from the War of 1812 here.
Prisons To Condos: The Transformation Of Toronto’s Liberty Village (VIDEO)
Morgan Cameron Ross
Contributor

While many Torontonians may have come to know Liberty Village as a youthful neighbourhood bursting with condos, its past looked wildly different.

In this edition of Narcity's Then&Now series, we look back at the transformation of this historical Toronto area, including a dark part of its history.

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This region was actually the former home of not just one, but two prisons, the Toronto Central Prison, located by Strachan and East Liberty Street, and the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for women, at the site currently occupied by Alan Lamport Stadium.

The Toronto Central Prison, when commanded by Warden William Stratton Prince, took on a rather disturbing reputation that Toronto Historian Morgan Cameron Ross describes as "draconian, Dickensian, and, pretty much awful."

While Liberty Village has since changed significantly, traces reminiscent of its past can still be found in the form of the vacant Prison Chapel on East Liberty Street.

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  • Lance McMillan
    Associate Photo Editor Lance McMillan is a Toronto based photojournalist who is focused on telling stories visually. Lance's photography has been published in numerous newspapers and magazines including National Geographic and his images have earned him awards including a 2nd Place in the 74th Pictures of the Year International (POYi), a Finalist in the 2019 Travel Photographer of the Year, and an Award of Excellence in the 78th Pictures of the Year International (POYi). To Lance, the power of telling stories through not just the written word, but through images, and the passion he has for doing so, cannot be overstated. This is particularly true when it comes to telling stories about nature and wildlife, striving to provide insight into the vulnerability of our environment and its inhabitants.

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