Walk Liberty | Location 2
Welcome to Walk Liberty!
Walk Liberty is an interactive, online portal that showcases the rich history, public spaces, and dynamic and eclectic businesses of Liberty Village. Get outside, explore the neighbourhood and support your local businesses.
This is one of ten stops along a walking tour of Liberty Village.
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📍Liberty Village Park
Located at the heart of the eastern, residential part of Liberty Village, is surrounded by towering condominiums. Yet one hundred years ago, this was Toronto’s industrial heartland.
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The abandoned brick building in the middle of the park is the only remaining section of the Central Prison, a provincial jail that quickly became notorious for its brutal conditions. The jail opened in 1873, and the chapel, which still stands, was built with prison labour in 1877.
After the prison closed in 1911, the chapel building was incorporated into the sprawling Inglis plant, which produced household appliances.
During the Second World War, the Inglis factory converted operations to war production, supplying firearms to the allied forces. A famous photograph of Inglis employee Veronica Foster – known across the country as “Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl” became an inspiration for the American wartime poster featuring “Rosie the Riveter.”
The Inglis plant closed in the early 1990s, making way for new housing and park space. If you look closely at the western wall, traces of the Inglis logo can still be seen. West of the old chapel, Perpetual Motion, a sculpture by Francisco Gazitua, pays homage to the area’s industrial past.
“Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl” at the Inglis plant in Liberty Village, 1941
From Library and Archives Canada, Item 3193621
“We Can Do It!” – wartime poster created by American artist J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse Electric, 1943 features Rosie the Riveter
Central Prison chapel
Perpetual Motion
Continue your tour…
Location 1 Strachan Avenue & East Liberty Street – 300 metres east (20 East Liberty Street)
Location 3 Lynn Williams and East Liberty Street – 175 metres west (148 East Liberty Street)
Support Local. Check out these nearby businesses!
Cafes and Restaurants
Liberty Coffee Bar 80 Western Battery Rd Unit #1
Maurya East Indian Roti 150 East Liberty St
‘ONO Poké Bar 100 Western Battery Rd Unit #2
Shops
Liberty Convenience 50 Lynn Williams St
Services
Green Cleaners 50 Lynn Williams St
La Bella Sole Tanning Salon 100 Western Battery Rd Unit #3
Liberty Village Dental 50 Lynn Williams St
Lydia Nails and Spa 100 Western Battery Rd Unit #1
Remax Regal Brokerage 100 Western Battery Rd Unit #4
