Kingston was Canada's first capital — a Royal Military College city, a limestone fortress town and the site of Canada's most notorious federal penitentiary. Its abandoned places carry the weight of 200 years of colonial military infrastructure, Victorian prison architecture and the limestone industry that built the entire city. A federal penitentiary closed in 2013 after 178 years of continuous operation. A 19th-century courthouse and concert hall frozen in mid-restoration. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Kingston, selected from our Abandoned Places Map Canada — 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada.
Why Kingston Is a Hidden Gem for Urban Exploration
Kingston's urbex landscape is defined by the intersection of 200 years of Canadian federal and military institutional history — the Kingston Penitentiary, the Royal Military College, Fort Henry and the surrounding Frontenac County limestone quarry and mill heritage. No other Canadian city of comparable size has this density of abandoned federal and military infrastructure.
1. Kingston Penitentiary – Kingston, Ontario — Canada's Most Notorious Federal Prison, Opened 1835, Closed 2013, 178 Years of Continuous Operation, Guided Tours Available (Known Location)
Kingston Penitentiary opened in 1835 — making it one of the oldest continuously operating prisons in North America — and held some of Canada's most notorious criminals across 178 years of operation. The massive limestone fortification, solitary confinement cells, the prison yard and the cell blocks where the infamous 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot destroyed much of the interior are now accessible through Correctional Service Canada guided tours. The combination of the 1835 limestone architecture, the violent history and the Lake Ontario waterfront setting make Kingston Penitentiary the most historically significant and most accessible abandoned place in Kingston.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Kingston Penitentiary
2. Victoria Hall – Cobourg, Ontario — 1860 Victorian Courthouse and Concert Hall, Largely Closed and Decaying, 1 Hour from Kingston (Known Location)
Built in 1860 to serve as both Cobourg's courthouse and its concert hall, Victoria Hall is one of the finest Victorian civic buildings in Ontario — a Palladian limestone structure with a concert hall modelled on St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. Largely closed for decades due to maintenance costs, with ongoing restoration plans that have progressed in fits and starts. Sections of the original courthouse, the council chamber and the concert hall remain in atmospheric semi-abandonment. One of the most architecturally extraordinary and most historically poignant abandoned civic buildings near Kingston. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in Canada →
3. Fort Henry Abandoned Sections – Kingston, Ontario — 1832 British Fortification, Partially Restored as Heritage Site, Original Ditch and Ravelin Structures in Atmospheric Decay (Known Location)
Fort Henry was built between 1832 and 1836 to defend the Rideau Canal terminus from American attack — the most significant British military fortification remaining in Ontario. While the main fort is operated as a heritage site with summer programming, the outer defensive works, the ditch systems and the ravelin structures exist in various states of atmospheric semi-abandonment beyond the main interpretation zone. The combination of the 1832 limestone military architecture, the Kingston Mills and the St. Lawrence River setting creates one of the most dramatically situated military heritage sites near Kingston. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
4. Abandoned Frontenac County Limestone Quarry – 1850s-1920s Cut-Stone Quarry, Original Derrick Foundations and Quarry Face, Kingston Region (Exclusively on Our Map)
The Kingston region's Frontenac limestone was the primary building material for the city's 19th-century construction — the penitentiary, Fort Henry, the courthouse and hundreds of commercial and residential buildings all cut from the same local bedrock. A 1850s-1920s limestone quarry in the Kingston region retains the original quarry face, derrick foundation stones and processing infrastructure of the industry that literally built Kingston. One of the most historically contextual and most geologically interesting abandoned places near Kingston. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
5. Abandoned Rideau Canal Lockmaster's House – 1830s Stone Lockmaster Dwelling, Original Period Construction, Rideau Heritage Corridor (Exclusively on Our Map)
The Rideau Canal — completed in 1832 as a military supply route and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site — was operated by resident lockmasters who lived in stone dwellings built by the Royal Engineers at each lock station. A surviving 1830s lockmaster's house along the Rideau corridor retains the original cut-stone Royal Engineers construction, the period window proportions and the canal-side setting of one of the oldest residential buildings in Ontario. Sections are in various states of non-active preservation alongside the operational canal infrastructure. One of the most historically extraordinary and most architecturally distinctive abandoned places near Kingston. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map Canada.
Safety Tips
- Prison tours: Kingston Penitentiary tours are managed by Correctional Service Canada — always book in advance and follow all guide instructions; never attempt independent access
- Limestone hazards: old quarry sites have unstable ledges and deep water-filled pits — always stay on established paths and never approach quarry edges
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned place in Kingston?
Kingston Penitentiary — opened in 1835, closed in 2013 after 178 years of continuous operation as Canada's most notorious federal prison. The massive limestone cell blocks, solitary confinement units and the 1971 riot-damaged sections are now accessible through Correctional Service Canada guided tours.
What was the 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot?
A six-day inmate uprising in April 1971 that resulted in the destruction of much of the prison's interior infrastructure and the deaths of two inmates. The riot became a defining moment in Canadian prison reform, leading to significant changes in federal corrections policy and the conditions of confinement.
Why is Kingston's limestone historically significant?
The Frontenac limestone bedrock underlying Kingston was used to build virtually every significant 19th-century structure in the city — the penitentiary, Fort Henry, Victoria Hall, dozens of churches and hundreds of limestone homes. The local stone gives Kingston its distinctive architectural character and is visible in every major historic building in the city.
🎯 Summary
Kingston's abandoned places range from the limestone federal penitentiary that operated for 178 years to the 1832 British fort that defended the Rideau Canal and a Victorian courthouse built to rival London's finest civic architecture. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Kingston captures a different layer of Canada's most historically concentrated small city.
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