Death row cells in the “Palace for Prisoners”. The Old Don Jail opened in 1864 and was a provincial jail for remanded offenders. Designed as a reform prison, the Don initially had a progressive approach to the wellness and living conditions of inmates. When it was closed in 1977 it was a vermin infested “hell-hole” that was grossly overcrowding and severely understaffed. 34 people were hanged at the Don before Canada repealed the death penalty in 1976