University of Guelph Landscape Architecture Research

HISTORY AND SITE CONTEXT

The Yorklands Green hub site is a 36 acre parcel of land located at the Guelph Correctional Centre in the South East corner of Guelph. The site has a rich historical, ecological, architectural and cultural history. In the 20th century, Provincial Secretary W. J. Hanna developed a transformational vision for the Guelph Correctional Centre as a place of reform rather than simply punishment. Since it’s opening in 1910, the Guelph Correctional Centre site has been a working farm (crops, animals and greenhouses), a military convalescent hospital, a woolen mill, a cannery, a wood furniture builder, an abattoir, a machine shop to teach skilled trades and it has been the manufacturer of car license plates. It has also been a research site for the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College and the Ontario Veterinary College. Located on site are landscaped features built by the inmates such as dry stone walls and water features. One of the dry stone walls surrounds the site with only a few openings for access. There are also ponds, wetlands and several native tree and shrub species on site that are home to many species of wildlife. On the West side of the site is Clythe Creek which connects to the Eramosa River, designated as a Canadian Heritage River in an urban environment. The site connects to the Royal City Trail and Eramosa Trail and in close proximity to the University of Guelph and the Arboretum. Visitors can Access Yorklands Green Hub by bus, bicycle and car. The land use surrounding the site is industrial and commercial with some residential. After the Guelph Correctional Centre closed as as a reformatory in 1996, the site has some limited access.