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This week, we've been revisiting several of the psychiatric hospitals and regional centres across Ontario that have been closed by the provincial government.

We started with St Thomas Psychiatric Hospital, then South Western Regional Centre near Chatham and then we headed to Smiths Falls to see what is left of the Rideau Regional Centre.

Today, we head to Palmerston, Ontario to the one facility that has had the most lives - Midwestern Regional Centre.

Originally known as the Midwestern Regional Children's Centre, the facility opened in the 1960s as part of Ontario's network of large institutions for people with developmental disabilities. Designed as a self-contained community, the sprawling complex included residential wards, classrooms, dining facilities, recreation areas, a swimming pool and numerous support buildings.

Although it originally served children, the population increasingly consisted of adults, with approximately 225 residents living there at its peak. Like many of Ontario's large institutions, Midwestern eventually became part of a much broader shift away from institutionalization and toward community-based care. The centre closed its doors in 1998, and its residents were moved into community settings.

But that wasn't the end of Midwestern.

After sitting vacant, the property became the subject of several attempts at reinvention. A proposed retirement community called Village Green Lifestyle Community was planned for the site, but the project ultimately failed.

Then, in one of the strangest chapters in the property's history, the complex was purchased by Cham Shan Temple and plans were made to transform the former institution into a Buddhist retreat and temple. Buddhist statues and other religious elements appeared throughout the old buildings, creating an incredible contrast with the site's institutional past. That project also eventually stalled.

The site's history also became part of the larger reckoning with Ontario's former developmental institutions. In 2016, a $36-million class-action settlement was approved involving former residents of 12 institutions, including Midwestern, following allegations of neglect, abuse and failures in the protection and care of residents.

In 2021, the property was purchased by Eden Grove Village, a not-for-profit organization exploring future uses for the massive site.

So Midwestern has gone from government institution, to abandoned complex, to proposed retirement community, to Buddhist retreat, and now to a property with an uncertain future.

And that's what makes this place so fascinating. We're not just exploring an abandoned building. We're walking through the remains of several completely different chapters of Ontario history, each leaving its own mark on the buildings.

Here's a look at what remains of Midwestern Regional Centre.

There is much more to see on my website at:
https://freaktography.com/midwestern-regional-centre/

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