Toner Institute, established in 1899, was an orphanage for boy's run by the Capuchin Franciscan Fathers. The school was named for Dr. James L. Toner of Westmoreland County, who provided in his will a fund to establish a school for boys from broken or disrupted homes. Originally located in Derry Township (Westmoreland County) and known as Toner Farm, the school moved to Brookline in 1917, relocating to homes along Dorchester Avenue.

A new complex, with a chapel, school and dormitories was built on the hilltop above Dorchester Avenue, at the end of Castlegate Avenue. Chartered and renamed Toner Institute in 1941, the campus was in operation until 1977.

Toner was a military type academy. The boys were taught the fundamentals of military drill and discipline while receiving a quality education. It was a common site at Brookline parades to see the finely dressed cadets from the school marching in formation in their West Point style dress uniforms.

Today, the area where the Toner Institute campus once stood is the site of a Senior assisted-living highrise complex.

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