"On 157 acres of Niagara farmland, twenty-five minutes from Hamilton, sat a 57,650-square-foot compound: a "grand foyer," a commercial kitchen, a gym with a rock-climbing wall and boxing ring, a library, a science lab, a soccer field. Marketed for "educational use, a corporate retreat, or repurposing," it carried a $9.4 million price tag and the promise of "outstanding potential." But the photos told another story: dorms, hallways, a mess hall-all deserted."
"Empty, too, of the staff who, as we relentlessly reported over the past year, abused them, according to lawsuits filed against the school. What the kids endured is shocking: public shaming, racist harassment, withholding of food, sleep deprivation, forced outdoor exposure in winter, and isolation. The lawsuits-which now number more than eighty in total-claim administrators maintained a system "designed to cover up" sexual, psychological, and physical cruelty. Survivors describe lasting trauma, with some saying the school "destroyed" their childhoods."
A 57,650-square-foot compound on 157 acres of Niagara farmland listed for $9.4 million displayed amenities such as a grand foyer, commercial kitchen, gym, library, science lab and soccer field but appeared abandoned with dorms, hallways and a mess hall left deserted. The site belonged to Robert Land Academy, a military-style private boarding school for boys that became bankrupt and empty. More than eighty lawsuits allege systemic sexual, psychological and physical cruelty including public shaming, racist harassment, food withholding, sleep deprivation, forced outdoor exposure and isolation. Survivors report lasting trauma and the institution was shut down.
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