“Hello, my name is Maya Bailey, and I am an aspiring architect who wants to evolve the idea of how spaces can be a form of aiding those in need. Mental health is often treated as something invisible, internal, individual, and detached from the physical world. But what if the spaces we inhabit are not just backdrops to our well-being, but active participants in shaping it?My thesis explores the intersection of mental health and architecture through the adaptive reuse of a heritage building into a community-focused mental health centre. Rather than erasing the past, this project embraces it, positioning history, memory, and material continuity as tools for healing. The existing structure becomes more than a preserved artifact; it becomes a framework for resilience, grounding users in a sense of time, place, and belonging.Located at 761 Queen Street West, the project responds to both its urban context and its social urgency. In a city where mental health resources are often fragmented or stigmatized, this centre reimagines care as something visible, collective, and embedded within everyday life.The design prioritizes spatial experiences that support emotional well-being, natural light, material warmth, gradations of privacy, and moments of pause. Programmatically, it blends clinical support with community-driven spaces, dissolving the boundary between therapy and daily life. This creates an environment where healing is not isolated, but shared.Ultimately, this thesis asks: how can architecture move beyond shelter to become an instrument of care? And how can the adaptive reuse of heritage space foster not only preservation, but transformation for both the building and the people it serves?”