[1][2][3][4] Woodlands opened in 1878 as the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, which sat on approximately 40 hectares of crown land.

The asylum continued to decline into the 1970s with many patients being moved to community placements and group homes.

Investigations by the Ministry of Children and Family Development found that about 20% of patients at the facility suffered some form of physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

In July 2008, a major fire destroyed a number of buildings, including the second and third floors of the center block.

[9] The site of the former school was also considered for a station on the Expo Line portion of the SkyTrain system.