Today the east wing of the legislative buildings are located on this site.

The building pictured above was originally part of King's College, the first university in Upper Canada, and later to become the University of Toronto. Although the college received its charter from the British government in 1827, it did not open until 1843. This building, one of three King's College buildings, was intended to serve as a student residence, but it was used for classes when it opened in 1845.

In 1849 the government decided to secularize the university , taking it out of the hands of the Anglican Church. King's College was converted to the University Lunatic Asylum. Soon afterward a new asylum was constructed at 999 Queen Street West (a famous piece of local architecture in its own right) and the old King's College building was left vacant. The last tenant it ever had was Jarvis Collegiate, temporarily, in 1870-1871.