On your right, look for a grand brick building featuring a large rounded Romanesque archway and a distinctive central tower soaring upward. This is the York Institute of Art, Science and Literature.
Back on July 18, 1883, the Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone right here using a secret Masonic ritual. Architect Walter Green Penty designed this beautiful Clifford Street frontage, complete with an eighty five foot tower and carved capitals, the decorative stone tops resting on the entrance columns. When the Marquis of Lorne opened the building in 1885, it was a true palace of learning. The basement held a gymnasium, and the main floor featured a magnificent hall fitting five hundred people.
After later serving as the York Technical College, the space completely transformed. Today, it houses Kuda nightclub and the York Dungeon, which is our next destination. You can brave the Dungeon Thursday afternoons or from 10 AM to 5 PM most other days, though it is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It is wonderful how a strict Victorian educational space evolved into a venue for modern thrills. Whenever you feel brave enough, we will head over to the Dungeon just steps away.
