The Painted Door

The Muskoka Sanatorium began in 1897 with the construction of a small 35 bed  tuberculosis sanatorium, the first of its kind in Canada. A major extension was built in the 1920‘s which escalated the patient count to over 400. This extension included surgical facilities, a laboratory, several service buildings and private dwellings for the staff. During the 1940‘s and 1950‘s, as effective tuberculosis treatment and prevention became more prevalent, the need for isolated sanatoriums declined. This time period was counterbalanced by an increase in the field of “mental retardation” demanding increased care and treatment space. Keeping with the times, the sanatorium transformed into a predominantly psychiatric facility. The centre was closed in 1994. Though it sits in prime cottage country right on Lake Muskoka, the facility is too badly damaged and contaminated with asbestos to either demolish or restore in a costly manner.

One of the best things about hospitals are, in their attempts to keep patients feeling cheerful, the layers upon layers of bright paint. Once abandoned the paint peels off beautifully, transforming institutional walls into accidental abstract art.