2026-27 EVENTS AT-A-GLANCE

Public Transit

Take the 44 or 944 Bus south from Kipling Subway Station to Lake Shore Blvd W, or take the 507 Streetcar from Long Branch GO Station to Kipling Avenue. 

The best Wheel-Trans drop-off location is the venue address (1 Colonel Samuel Smith Dr, Etobicoke) which will drop you off right at the building’s front entrance.

For specific TTC route and schedule information call 416-393-4636 or visit the TTC website .

Driving

If arriving from the 401: Merge onto Highway 427, then take the Gardiner eastbound to exit at Kipling Ave. and continue south onto Colonel Samuel Smith Dr.

If arriving from the Gardiner: Exit at Kipling Ave. and continue south onto Colonel Samuel Smith Dr.

The parking directly in front of Assembly Hall is very limited and reserved for staff and folks with accessibility needs. Please see the map below for parking. Additional parking may be available at the Humber Polytechnic Welcome Centre at 2 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.

View full-size Parking Map PDF here

Wheelchair Accessible Venue: Assembly Hall features an elevator and a fully accessible Performance Hall for audience members.

• View Ground Floor plan PDF here.

• View Second Floor plan PDF here.

Accessible Public Washroom: One fully accessible washroom facility is located on the ground floor only.

Onsite Support: If you should have any needs onsite please find an Assembly Hall staff member or a TOES FOR DANCE staff member (wearing a bright lanyard labeled STAFF). 

Questions: If you have specific access needs or questions, please reach out to Cass (cass@toesfordance.ca) ahead of time—we’re here to help ensure a smooth and inclusive experience for you!

Assembly Hall has been an important part of the Etobicoke Lakeshore community for over a century. It was built in 1898 as part of the Mimico Lunatic Asylum, designed to serve as a place of recreation and worship for the patients and hospital staff. Patient labour was used to construct Assembly Hall and various other hospital buildings. The hospital’s first superintendent, Dr. Nelson Henry Beemer, was a strong believer in meaningful work as a form of rehabilitative therapy.

The original purpose for Assembly Hall was to meet the social and spiritual needs of the hospital. However, because there was no comparable facility in the area, Assembly Hall soon became the principal gathering place for a multitude of community events, dances and concerts. The Asylum changed names repeatedly over the years, becoming the Mimico Hospital for the Insane in 1911, the Ontario Hospital, New Toronto in 1919 and finally renamed as the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, but Assembly Hall maintained its name and central role throughout the entire history of the hospital.

After the closure of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital in 1979, Assembly Hall fell into disuse for two decades. The combined efforts of local activists and politicians helped to support the City of Toronto’s restoration of this facility, which reopened on in June 2001. The renovated Assembly Hall has been designed to meet a variety of cultural and community needs. The beautiful 250+ seat Performance Hall is a venue for music, theatre, dance, receptions and special events. The community rooms are used for art classes, meetings, workshops and rehearsals. Gallery spaces for visual arts are located throughout the building. Assembly Hall is a rental facility for both public and private use.

Assembly Hall is fully accessible. An elevator is onsite for access to the second floor Performance Hall, and accessible parking is available both at the front of Assembly Hall and in the Green P Parking lot (located on the south side of Assembly Hall). An accessible washroom is also available.

Learn more at: assemblyhall.ca