The Edwardian City Morgue building at 86 Lombard Street in east downtown Toronto was built in 1908 to replace or alleviate operations at Esplanade and Frederick Street where the city's first two morgues or "dead houses" were located.

It was designed by then-City Architect Robert McCallum, though purportedly he merely took credit for the work of one of his two assistants, John James Woolnough and George Frederick W. Price. Described upon its completion as "handsome, commodious, and possess[ing] every facility for which it was erected" by the Toronto Daily Star, the premises and their 14 body receptacles served Toronto's mortuary needs for nearly 70 years. The building was designated as a heritage property in 1973.

Having been envisioned at a time when Toronto's population was roughly 280,000, in the late 1960s the Lombard Street Morgue was struggling to service a metropolitan area of nearly two million residents. Dr. Morton Shulman, the coroner at the time, called his facilities "a morgue in which none of us would wish to be found dead."

A new morgue and coroner’s office was soon built at 25 Grosvenor Street. In 1979, 86 Lombard Street became a Women’s Cultural Centre named after Pauline McGibbon, Ontario's 22nd Lieutenant Governor and the first female viceroy in Canadian history. The newly renovated space included a cabaret theatre, a 1,500-book library, an arts studio workshop space, and a 42-seat café.

Unfortunately, the Cultural Centre closed in the mid-80s due to financial troubles. The building was variously used by the charity Fred Victor as a hostel, office space, and women's shelter between 1988 and March 2021, with their most recent departure leaving the old morgue empty once again.

• Architect - Robert McCallum  <-- More buildings by this architect.
• Architect - J.J. Woolnough  <-- More buildings by this architect.
• Architect - Thom Partnership  <-- More buildings by this architect.
• Architect - G.F.W. Price - G.F.W. Price was the City Architect   <-- More buildings by this architect.