Toronto Central Prison Chapel

The Toronto Central Prison Chapel is the sole surviving structure from the former prison complex, standing between two railway corridors west of Strachan Avenue. The Roman Catholic building features heavy stone walls and architectural details that reflect its origins as a place of worship for confined individuals.

The structure was built by inmates in 1877 and served as a place of worship at the maximum-security prison until the facility closed in 1915. After the prison ceased operations, the site was repurposed for military storage purposes.

The chapel represents a significant period in Toronto's penal history, reflecting the transition from punitive to reformative approaches in the Canadian prison system.

The building has been vacant and inaccessible since 2015, showing signs of exposure to the elements over time. The surrounding area is now a public park that provides a vantage point to view this heritage structure from outside.

Along with a section of the paint shop wall, this chapel represents the only physical traces remaining from a prison complex that once housed roughly 336 inmates. The inmate-built construction tells the story of a facility where prisoners worked on site.

Location: Ontario

Inception: 1877

Official opening: 1877

GPS coordinates: 43.63870,-79.41440

Latest update: December 13, 2025 17:05