Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

Alderwood Collegiate Institute

Demolished Educational in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sep 10 2013

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Recent status Demolished
Location # 9554

Opening its doors on September 6, 1955, Alderwood Collegiate Institute was the first public high school in the area. It closed in June 1983. During this time, the site was used for the filming of the CBC children's series The Edison Twins.
Alderwood reopened in the summer of 1985 as Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School, an outlet of Etobicoke's first Catholic high school, Michael Power/St. Joseph High School.
Due to poor building conditions, F.J.R. was forced to move out of Alderwood to its new campus in September 2006.
In 2010, the building was used once more when Steven Spielberg used it as the set for his television series Falling Skies.

From captainmorgan, August 2014:
This abandoned school in Etobicoke used to be home to Father John Redmond Catholic School, and before that, the Alderwood Collegiate Institute which existed from 1955 to 1982. After that it became part of the then newly formed Catholic school board. The school then operated until 2006, when it closed due to being in a bad state of disrepair.

This building has some very interesting features, such as the tiny triangular bird sanctuary tucked in between walls and accessible through a glass wall in the library. The birds indeed are still there, and en masse they can be a little bit Hitchkokian at dusk. There is also a swing made from a shopping cart in the gym, and perhaps the most interesting, the space between the roof and the ceiling of the auditorium. It is full of wooden walkways and rafters, chains and a lot of strange equipment. One can only imagine how excited a student at the school might have been to discover that place.

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9 years ago

It's torn down now sadly

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10 years ago

The bomb that went off here is being cleaned up. If you go now, it will look like you got "before" pictures.

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10 years ago

I was by here about a week ago, it looks like a bomb went off, it's so ridiculous, all I could do was laugh. Almost a year ago I was driving by it to go to a friends party, I thought the developers were preparing it as a sales centre. The difference in a year is incredible, it's obvious the developers don't care. I can't believe the city hasn't ordered it's demolition.

[deleted]

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10 years ago

[deleted]

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10 years ago

Been here several times and tried returning last weekend. I lasted about a minute as there were kids smashing out windows and starting fires in the auditorium. This place is going to hell, such a shame.

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10 years ago

It's sad to see what has happened to this place in the past... What 6 months? Ugh!

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10 years ago

Kids are trashing this place severely. I actually stood the big counter in the "brain" room back up. Broke my fricken back.

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10 years ago

Totally trashed. I didn't see a homeless guy, but the nice salesman in the front allowed us to go in. There was another group of kids inside too. Popular place, I guess.

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10 years ago

Met a friendly homeless guy living here yesterday. Thanked me for not kicking him out. Musta thought i belonged there. Lol.

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10 years ago

I was dying to make it into the gym so went back yesterday for another visit. Came across a anti-social scrapper! We hid from each other for a good 30min and eventually I poked my head around the corner. He saw me and took off with a heap of metal framing in his hands. Made it to the gym. Neato!

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11 years ago

After our explore we went to check out the sales office and inquired about the prices with cameras around our necks. We even said "Good day Sir" to the security as we were leaving ... LOL ... and yes, camera around neck ... LOL :-P

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11 years ago

When I was here there was an open house thing going on inside in what I think was the cafeteria. We could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall. Whoa...followed by very slow back-stepping.

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11 years ago

Security on site. Becareful. Make sure you practice your ninjitsu kata before embarking on this high stealth mission.

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11 years ago

Yeah that was me!! Sweet, looks like you guys had a blast!

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11 years ago

Miche: Did you come in as a couple? Yeah ... I was that guy ... LOL ... nice to meet you! :-)

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11 years ago

RNR! I did yes and here comes the photos bro!!!! LOL

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11 years ago

Rash - did you bring the bitche$ for a naughty school girl shoot?? please say yes.... please

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11 years ago

Was that you rashomon? Haha, love running into fellow explorers like that. Had a blast exploring the rest of the building/places I missed the first time.

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11 years ago

Darkman, awesome photos.

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11 years ago

Just came back ... awesome place. Just be a ninja ...

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11 years ago

I checked this out on the weekend and there was a security car in the parking lot and it had lights on inside with people working.

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11 years ago

God damn! What a great alternative to Bow High which has been sealed shut!

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11 years ago

Some nice galleries people, damn, maybe I should have showed up at my friends party an hour late & explored the place for a bit.

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11 years ago

@Darkman...so jealous. I was here today too but was too chicken shit to go in alone. I'm going back, what's the worst that can happen, right?

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11 years ago

.......I knew the little guy before he died & had the school named after him.

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11 years ago

I was by here about 3 weeks ago visiting one of my best friends. The doors were wide open & work was going on, I think preparing their sales centre (??). I decided I was more interested in getting to my friends then the explore. I had a number of friends that attended Alderwood & I was out of high school before Father Redmond was started, but had a number of other people I knew attend. I knew