Archives

Unity Health Toronto maintains and preserves the history of its three legacy sites made possible by the Archives at each site location. We offer services to hospital staff, students and the public.

If you have research questions, please contact our archivist. In-person visits may be arranged. Note that some restrictions apply due to the confidential nature of certain records. Any information or images obtained from St. Michael’s, St. Joseph’s, or Providence intended for publication require permission from the archivist.

• St. Joseph’s Heath Centre: The St. Joseph’s Health Centre Archives houses a collection of corporate and historical records, dating back to 1921 when the Sisters of St. Joseph founded St. Joseph’s Hospital. Holdings include textual records, photographs and drawings, audiovisual material and medical artifacts. The archives also holds records of the former St. Joseph’s School of Nursing and the former Our Lady of Mercy Hospital. 
• St. Michael’s Hospital: The St. Michael’s Hospital Archives opened on December 1, 1974. We collect and preserve a permanent record of the work and activities of St. Michael’s according to archival standards. The archives houses a rich collection of the hospital’s corporate and historical records. In addition, we hold the records of the former St. Michael’s Hospital School of Nursing, including graduation photographs, student uniforms and transcripts. We also hold partial records for the Wellesley Central Hospital.
• Providence Healthcare: The Providence Healthcare Archives houses 15 metres of textual and ephemeral records, photographs, and audiovisual materials. The content consists of records created due to the building, founding, social, business and administrative functions of the House of Providence, Providence Villa and Hospital, Providence Centre and Providence Healthcare.

Looking for patient health records? Visit the Accessing Your Health Record page.

Explore our history

• Take a look back at the early years of St. Michael’s Hospital in the online gallery of archival photos on Flickr and the recently digitized newsletters of the St. Michael’s Hospital Nursing School Alumnae Association.
• Learn about the history of St. Joseph’s Health Centre with memories from our 100^th anniversary celebrations. View Photos of Our Past, Milestones and Medical Firsts and our Time Capsule.
• For more details on the holdings of each hospital’s archives, visit our Archeion profile

Contact

416-864-6060 ext. 77129
Archives.smh@unityhealth.to
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Office located at Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 209 Victoria St. Toronto,ON, Room 219

Last updated July 22, 2025