NTROPY

Century Manor sits atop Hamilton in an active complex, St. Joseph’s rehabilitation center. Its very scenic and can be mistaken for a park and not a rehab complex. It has winding roads and wonderful architecture somewhat reminiscent of New England and its asylums of the bygone era.

It’s not that interesting inside, aside from the fact that everyone seems to want to explore this place and no one can get in. A very long time ago there was a broken basement window which  provided access to the three story facility which was devoid of anything, furniture, records, except for a phone and other explorers who scared us on the top floor when we were there.

It might not even be in the current state for much longer. There was talk five years ago that it was supposed to be converted to administration-type support building, but that never happened. In a few years the whole property will be redeveloped to make way for a new larger facility with the intention to keep this building
because it’s a historical property .The property dates from 1875 when it was known as the Hamilton asylum. It became a dedicated psychiatric hospital in 1876 which had a few name changes from Hamilton Hospital for the Insane in 1907, to Ontario Hospital in 1919, and Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital in 1966 and which it is still known to most people even though its actually a part of St. Joseph’s complex. Interestingly it housed criminally insane inmates from the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph from 1917 to 1921.