Ontario's Forgotten Landmarks: Muskoka Sanitorium
Demolition-by-neglect will soon befall the Muskoka Tuberculosis sanitorium, which since the demise of Whitby Psych, is one of the few derelict medical abandonments near Toronto. This was the main reason for my visit. However, it didn't take much convincing to get me up to this eerily beautiful building.
The level of decay seemed to increase significantly as we made our careful ascent. Unintentional patterns, textures and colours emerged as nature took its toll on the old structure...
The ground had completely frozen over fallen paint-chips in the classroom section of the uppermost level, creating an optical illusion on the floors...
Sanitoriums are known for their numerous windows, and the building's interior was originally painted to meet the light. Even the most gentle of colours, however, took on an almost sinister tone in their current state.
The patients' rooms, although for the most part stripped of their amenities, still managed to maintained unique characteristics...
The entire visit was a mix of emotions for me; the cold, dripping, vacant corridors were filled with the stench of decay, coupled with memories of a healing which the building itself will never receive.
To see the rest of the photo series from this haunting place, as well as high-resolution images of those shown above, please take a look at my flickr slideshow below.
Comments (23)
Heya,
it certainly is a neat place; rumor has it they have already begun demo : (
as for the photoshopping, a few of those shots are actually processed film, and with the rest, I used Lightroom; I thought this combination would give it a unique look, and certainly was not going for 'cheesy' : P
jonathan@blogTO
Corina - it's in the North end of Muskoka, Ontario (I believe it's the North end...).
jonathan@blogTO
This is my favourite regular feature on BlogTO, but I have to agree that the saturation and contrast kill detail as much as they enhance.
I guess it's up to the photog to decide. Lightroom is amazing and so are presets, but too much of a good thing can get tedious, especially when it detracts from subjects that so easily speak for themselves.
Fading borders, sepia, vignetting, cross-processing, and rounded edges are like fake tanner, boob jobs, rouge and bleach on someone who's already beautiful.
Chester pape: never : )
Paul: to be honest, these were all edited a while ago for my own website; the rounded-boarders is used to distinguish film from digital in most cases, but with the already-defined boarders on blogTO, perhaps I will not do this in the future. I love fooling with processing skills, so that not all abandonment snaps look the same - thanks for your input, and I'm glad you like the series.
Anna: that is awesome! I love hearing things like that...
jonathan@blogTO
Hi Jonathan,
As someone who enjoys UE with my partner - to photograph and explore, not to destroy - I appreciate the effects that you have used to show your experience with the building and the emotions you felt.
Everyone is entitled to their own view of a opinion.
My opinion is that these photographs seem to be crafted with love and are pleasant to look upon.
Good exploration, keep it up.
Is it like, a secret Jonathan? :) My dad used to work in mental services up in Muskoka and I'm just wondering if he'd have seen this place in action... also awesome that it's way up North, I have a cottage in those parts and it can be pretty 'atmospheric' up there, perfect setting for taking these pics I'm sure.
If only you could have photographed the old Bigwin Inn before they renovated!
Thanks for this, Jonathon. I always look for the "Forgotten Landmarks" articles. And I think your photos are great, I love the colours in some of them. I didn't know this place existed and I'm interested in it's history. It's weird that there's no Wikipedia entry on the place.
PS I have an idea for one of your visits, I'll e-mail you.
this is lame yiou shoukd have liek mountians seriouly man i am going to die i likw to read adn is o
Thanks for these photos of the Muskoka Sanitorium, because I'll never see the place in person.
I was raised in Gravenhurst -- my teenage years in the 1970s -- and the Sanitorium was open, then. It wasn't a place that a teenager would visit -- I never had a reason to go -- because it was a way out of town. I think that I had a relative stay there for health reasons, and my father went out to visit.
Hello Johnathan: Looking at these pictures brought up all kinds of emotions. Facination, sadness, nostalgia and anger, to name a few. It felt like I was looking at pictures of the Titanic after it went down. I have been in every nook and cranny of this place. I worked there in the 70's, 80's and 90's, when it was called Muskoka Centre. It was an institution for the developmentally challenged. The pictures are beautiful to look at but it's easy to remember that people lived, worked and also died in this building. It was one of the worst jobs I've ever had and also, probably, the best. To know that I have walked in every room that your pictures depict gives me a sense of surrealism. My favorite is the one looking down the stairwell, from the fifth floor. I used to do that all the time!!! I have sent the pictures to myself so that I, at least, have some record of where I spent some of the most formative years of my life and to hold onto some of the many memories. This was my first job out of high school, and I'm still in the field. It's been 30 years now!! Thanks for posting them!!
These photos really angered me! My grandparents worked at this sanitorium , my mother was a patient there,and years later I worked as a residential councellor when it was called Muskoka Center. I am angry at the fact that after spending millions of dollars on renovations the gov't allowed this place ( for the second time in its history) to rot and get into this condition. It was a beautiful place on a penninsula of land on Lake Muskoka. After it ceased as a TB sanitorium it was allowed to sit and rot and some of the buildings had to be torn down. Now it has been left again. It is hard to imagine from these photos just how beautiful this place was. It is so sad.
Thanks Lee Ann for identifying the location. Been looking for info on the Gravenhurst TB sanatorium. My wife is searching for her grandfather's grave site and this is where he died suffering from TB. Is there a graveyard at the sanatorium for those that died there or would they have been buried in a Gravenhurst cemetery?
Hello Don: Thank you for your comment. I don't remember there ever being a cemetery on the grounds. If there was, it was long forgotten because there was never any mention of one. There are three possibilities: 1) Your wife's family claimed her grandfather's remains and buried him themselves or, 2) He was not claimed and buried in Gravenhurst OR, 3) the family had him buried in Gravenhurst. I'm pretty sure that German POW's were buried in Gravenhurst so, possibly provisions were made for Sanitorium patients. The town should have archives and burial records for that far back. I hope that these ideas have been helpful. Keep me posted!!! Lee Ann
For the gentleman looking for burial of his relatives from the sanitarium, possibly Mickel Memorial Cemetary on what used to be called the San rd. This is the road that leads to the sanitarium
This is also the cemetary where the German POW's were buried, but I believe were relocated back to Germany some years ago along with the hand carved wooden grave markers.
I used to live on that road close to the Ontario Fire College which was the original tb sanitarium, so I am told.
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