Now empty of prisoners, the Don Jail is expected to fill up with tourists over the summer. Party planners are drooling over the possibilities of Halloween parties, weddings, and corporate events in the historic corridors of this notorious Canadian jail.
John Barber sums it up nicely in today’s Globe and Mail:
… it is a profound place – crumbling, sinister, dank, yet grand. The experience of walking through those famous doors in the imaginary shoes of a prisoner is too powerful to be captured by such tepid words as “heritage.” The horrifying cellblocks, unaltered since 1864, make comparatively modern Alcatraz seem like a nice place for a picnic. The semi-circular atrium they surround is one of the most beautiful rooms in Toronto. The right word to describe the overall experience, for once, is awesome.
On Saturday, the doors of the jail will be open to the public as part of Doors Open Toronto. It’s only the second time in the jail’s 145-year history has been open for tours.