Toronto General Hospital 1856-1913
In the area bounded by Sumach, Gerrard, Sackville and Spruce streets, the Toronto General Hospital opened in 1856. It replaced the original hospital at King and John Streets. Designed by architect Wm. Hay, and constructed of local white brick with decorative stonework, the four storey building had five imposing towers along its facade. The operating theatre was in the centre and there were eighteen wards. With additions for the Burnside Lying-In Hospital for maternity cases, and the Mercer Eye and Ear Infirmary, the hospital had 400 beds. Financial difficulties closed the hospital for a year in 1867. It was used for teaching medical students from three universities and three other medical schools. Its school of nursing was opened in 1831, the second to be established in Canada.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.