Knox College

This majestic urban property dates as far back as 1835 and was sold to the Presbyterian church for a mere $10,000.

Completed in 1875, this iconic structure displays in Gothic Revivalist style and has served to fulfill a multitude of roles here in Toronto.

From its beginnings, it served as Knox College, a theological college of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In 1914, with WWI raging in Europe, the church facility was relocated and the facility served as the Spadina Military Hospital and barracks.

For a period in 1918, Amelia Earhart worked as a nurses aide in the kitchen at the hospital. It remained a veterans hospital until 1943 when it was acquired by the University of Toronto's Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which became one of Canada's main centers for the development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals including poliovirus, insulin and penicillin. The Ontario division of the Eye Bank of Canada was situated here from 1955 and was relocated prior to the renovations which began in 2013.

The property has also seen two tragic deaths. Fine arts lecturer David Buller was stabbed to death inside his office in 2001. Despite an intensive police investigation, his killer was never brought to justice. 29-year-old “ghost-hunter” Leah Kubik plunged four stories to her death after crawling across a chicken-wire screen that gave way in 2009.

In June 2013, U of T began a $50 Million overhaul and renovation of the building, which is ongoing. When completed, the renewed facility will house the Fine Arts department of the Faculty of Arts and Science.