Heritage Toronto is pleased to announce the recipients for the 37th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards. The Awards celebrate outstanding contributions by individuals and community organizations, as well as industry professionals and associations, in promoting and conserving Toronto's history and heritage landmarks. Award recipients were announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 4th at Koerner Hall, the Royal Conservatory of Music.

This year, nominations were solicited from the public in four categories: the William Greer Architectural Conservation and Craftsmanship Award; Book; Media; and Community Heritage. Independent juries reviewed the nominations and recommended the award recipients.

Heritage Toronto presented its Special Achievement Award to the late heritage developer Paul Oberman.

Please click here for links to video from the 2011 Awards & Lecture.

2011 Recipients

WILLIAM GREER ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP CATEGORY

This category honours owners who have undertaken projects to restore or adapt buildings or structures that have been in existence for forty years or more. In addition to the quality of craftsmanship, appropriateness of materials, and the use of sound conservation principles, the jury considers how well the project meets current needs while maintaining the integrity of the original design vision.

Award of Excellence

John Street Roundhouse and Roundhouse Park

Before

After

255 Bremner Boulevard
Commissioned by: City of Toronto
Architect: IBI Group Architects
Crafts Persons/Contractors: John Street Roundhouse Development Corporation

The John Street Roundhouse was in continuous service as a Canadian Pacific Railway engine house from 1929 until the last engine left in 1988. The roundhouse had 32 repair bays and a turntable to move the engines in and out of the building. This project involved redeveloping Bays 15 to 32 and the turntable courtyard, as well as the adjacent park,as home for the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre and a Leon's furniture store. The building's character-defining elements, such as the extensivewindows and the train bay doors, were restored, the unheated roundhouse was refurbished with modern services for new tenants, and additional railway buildings were brought to the park.

Seventh Post Office, 10 Toronto Street

Before

After

Commissioned by: Karmic Holdings Inc.
Architect: Goldsmith, Borgal & Company Ltd.
Architect (Interiors): Roth Knibb Architects Inc.
Crafts Persons/Contractors: Carillion Canada; Clifford Restoration Ltd

Toronto's Seventh Post Office, designed by architects Cumberland and Storm in 1852, recently underwent a program of exterior restoration and interior renovations. Exterior work included restoration of the stone masonry, repair to woodwork and stucco, and the installation of new copper flashing. The interior renovation preserved the Neoclassical-style boardroom due to its significance in Canadian business history. The maze of rooms and corridors that had accumulated over the years was redesigned in a similar style.

Award of Merit

Shops of Summerhill

Before

After

1095 - 1103 Yonge Street
Commissioned by: Woodcliffe Landmark Properties
Architect: AUDAXarchitecture Inc.
Consulting Heritage Architect: Goldsmith, Borgal & Company Ltd.
Craft Person/Contractor: Den Bosch + Finchley

This project involved the restoration of a row of commercial heritage buildings on Yonge Street, locally known as the "Five Thieves," and the addition of a contemporary building to the rear. Restoration work included removing paint and restoring original details such as the delicate brick façade, and the reconstruction of the chimney stack. The aim of the project was to emulate a 19th century urban streetscape, in combination with a modern pedestrian experience that includes canopies, display areas and patios.

Honourable Mention

Pease Foundry Building, 211 Laird Drive

Before

After

Commissioned by: Fieldgate Developments
Architect: PDA Architects
Consulting Heritage Architect: Goldsmith, Borgal & Company Ltd.
Crafts Person/Contractor: Fieldgate Construction Management Ltd.

The Pease Foundry Building was built in the 1930s in the Art Moderne style for a company which manufactured heating and plumbing supplies. The building originally included a showroom, administration offices and warehouse space. After being vacant for many years, it now houses a bankbranch. The project involved restoring or replicating a number of the heritage elements, such as the distinctive curved glass display windows.

Robert Watson Lofts

Before

After

363/369 Sorauren Avenue
Commissioned by: Sorauren Lofts Corporation
Architect: Kohn Partnership Architects Inc.
Crafts Persons/Contractors: 59 Developments Inc.

The Robert Watson Lofts project involved the adaptive reuse of the former R& T Watson Co. candy factory, and its integration into a larger residential development with a new six-storey structure. Two floors were added to the original Edwardian building, masonry was repaired and original features like the Robert Watson Co. sign were preserved. The new structure was clad in brick to harmonize with the heritage structure and both the old and new buildings were combined through shared space, including a gallery, workshop and common areas.

Other Nominees

461 King Street East

Commissioned by: Victor & Coralina Lemos
Architects: bbuzz Concepts Inc.; Canadian Engineer Inc.

This project added exterior decks, inspired by the verandas of the French quarter in New Orleans, to the rear of an 1891 row house in Corktown. The deck structure is free-standing, two floors above ground level, and uses decorative details to reflect the Georgian character of the building.

Continental Can Building

Before

After

790 Bay Street
Commissioned by: Women's College Health Research
Architect: Sievenpiper Associates Inc.
Crafts Persons/Contractors: Pantar Developments Inc.

This building at Bay and College Streets was designed in the International Style by architect Peter Dickinson in 1959 to house the headquarters of the Continental Can Company. The exterior façade and interior lobby were refurbished to Dickinson's original design concept. On the exterior, the windows and frames were restored or reproduced and the distinctive stainless steel fins repaired. In the lobby, a wall which had been covered was exposed back to its original green slate and repaired, while the marble missing from another wall was replaced following the 1959 design.

16 Glen Edyth Place - Residence

Before

After

Commissioned by: David Daniels
Architect: Scott Morris Architects Inc.
Crafts Persons/Contractors: Coheze Development Limited

Built in the 1930s in Art Deco style, 16 Glen Edyth Place was designed by Mackenzie Waters, an associate architect on Maple Leaf Gardens. The aim of this project was to upgrade the house and make it more energy efficient as well as to refurbish original features. Key features that were preserved and restored include the terrazzo staircase and metal railings, a period sundial on the south façade and the rhythmic window openings within the brick façade.

Whitney Block - Accessibility Upgrade

Before

After

99 Wellesley Street West
Commissioned by: Province of Ontario/ CB Richard Ellis Global Corporate Services
Architect: L.E. Glazer Architect Limited
Craft Person/Contractor: Ross Clair Contractors Inc.

The Whitney Block at Queen's Park was started in 1926 and completed in phases. Built in Late Gothic Revival style, it is the second oldest provincial government building in Ontario. To provide physical accessibility to the building, a new limestone ramp was built on the exterior of the building. Renovations were made inside to create a new entry lobby and elevator access.

BOOK CATEGORY

This category recognizes well-written non-fiction books published in 2010 that explore Toronto's archaeological, built, cultural and/or natural heritage and history.

Award of Merit

Imagining Toronto

Author: Amy Lavender Harris
Publisher: Mansfield Press Inc.

The author has organized fictional views of Toronto - including prose, poetry, and essays - into themes that include multiculturalism and the inner suburbs. The scope of her work extends from First Nations stories to current graphic novels, and reveals much about how the city has been
viewed and experienced by a wide variety of writers.

 

 

 

 

Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven

Author: Ross King
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre Publishers Inc. and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinberg

Defiant Spirits traces the artistic development of Tom Thomson and the future members of the Group of Seven over a dozen years in history. Although their work is most often associated with the Canadian natural landscape, the author reveals that Toronto served as home, workplace,
and subject matter for the artists.

Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto

 

Author: Shawn Micallef
Publisher: Coach House Books and Eye Weekly

Stroll features 32 self-guided walking tours exploring Toronto. The author includes little-known yet rich areas, and brings a fresh perspective to landmark sites and neighbourhoods. The book includes maps, photographs, and strolling tips.

Honourable Mention

The Well-Tempered Listener: Growing Up with Musical Parents

Author: Mary Willan Mason
Publisher: Words Indeed Publishing Inc.

Mary Willan Mason was the daughter of composer Healey Willan and his pianist-wife Gladys "Nell" Hall. In this book, the author depicts aspects of Toronto's musical, cultural, academic, and spiritual life in primarily the 1920s and 30s while recounting tales and characters of her childhood.

 

 

 

 

Creating Memory: A Guide to Outdoor Public Sculpture in Toronto

Author: John Warkentin
Publisher: Becker and Associates and the City Institute at York University

Toronto has over 600 public outdoor sculptures covering a wide variety
of subjects. Beginning with a history of public sculptures in the city,
the author catalogues and tells the stories of the artists and their
works. Maps and photographs will guide readers to explore the city and
assess the sometimes-controversial sculptures throughout Toronto.

A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Toronto

Author: Margaret Goodfellow & Phil Goodfellow
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre Publishers Inc.

This guidebook features over 60 remarkable contemporary buildings and
public spaces completed between 1992 and 2010. The projects are
organized into self-guided walking tours, and each is profiled with
descriptive text, multiple colour photographs, and some architectural
drawings.

 

 

Other Nominees

Rose Henderson: A Woman for the People

Author: Peter Campbell
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

Rose Henderson was a feminist, socialist, and peace activist who championed causes during the 1920s and 1930s. In telling her little-known story, the author also discusses the history of labour and women's movements in French and English Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

Therafields: The Rise and Fall of Lea Hindley-Smith's Psychoanalytic Commune

Author: Grant Goodbrand
Publisher: ECW Press

In the 1960s and early 1970s, approximately 900 people were involved in Therafields, a secular commune. Led by the charismatic Lea Hindley-Smith, the members occupied houses in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood and outside the city. The author of this revealing book was a member of the commune's inner circle.

 

 

Witness to a City: David Miller's Toronto

Authors: David Miller and Douglas Arrowsmith
Publisher: Cormorant Books

This book briefly profiles 18 people who have contributed to the political, cultural, environmental, and visual arts scenes in Toronto. The reader learns why each subject loves the city and what inspired them to make it better. Former mayor David Miller's own story of how he came to Toronto and became involved in public life is included.

 

Breadwinning Daughters: Young Working Women in a Depression-Era City, 1929-1939

Author: Katrina Srigley
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Through more than 80 interviews with women who lived and worked in Toronto in the 1930s, the author explores the experiences of single working women during the Great Depression. Beyond the workplace, readers learn of the women's leisure activities and family lives.

 

 

The Villages Within: An Irreverent History of Toronto and a Respectful Guide to the St. Andrew's Market, the Kings West District, the Kensington Market and Queen Street West

Author: Doug Taylor
Publisher: iUniverse Inc.

The author - a self-described "Toronto enthusiast" - has written an irreverent history of pre-Confederation Toronto followed by a more conventional examination of several city neighbourhoods. Archival and contemporary photographs accompany the text.

MEDIA CATEGORY

This category salutes projects such as films, videos, websites, and newspaper and magazine articles that educate the public about aspects of Toronto's archaeological, built, cultural and natural heritage and history.

Award of Excellence

Brick by Brick: The Story of the Evergreen Brick Works

Video
Author/Director: Catherine Annau
Producer/Distributor: Jennifer Holness, Hungry Eyes Film & Television

Detailing environmentalist Geoff Cape's journey as he transforms a 125-year-old Don Valley Brick Works into a $54 million ecological centre, this video chronicles the year-long process to renovate this industrial site. The film also highlights some of the stories of the site's diverse history - such as the workers who made the bricks that built Toronto, the German Prisoners of War who worked here during WW II and the graffiti artists who were inspired by the site.

Jane-Finch.com

Website
Author/Director: Paul Nguyen
Producer: Sue Chun

Jane-Finch.com is a volunteer-run website that highlights the history, art, news and issues of Toronto's Jane-Finch neighbourhood. It was started in 2004 by local residents who wanted to challenge racial stereotypes about the multicultural area. The website has grown into a community broadcaster, a digital library of living community history, and a social movement, giving local residents a place to share their stories, poems, artwork and videos and ideas, as well as place to learn about news and issues that affect their community.

Other Nominees

Architectural Dialogues...Moriyama & Teshima

Video
Author/Director: Glenn McArthur
Producer: Gord Adams

This video highlights the renowned architectural firm Moriyama and Teshima, whose projects have included the Bata Shoe Museum, the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, and the Canadian War Museum. Using examples of the firm's work and in-depth interviews with the principals involved, the film explores their commitment to using a process of dialogue throughout the stages of a building project's development.

Torontohistory.org

Website
Producer: Alan L. Brown

Torontohistory.org is a website which aims to document all historical plaques and markers within Toronto - from those erected by local historical societies to the federal Historic Sites and Monuments Board's commemorative plaques. It provides a free, searchable database that features photos, locations and full text of each of the plaques.

COMMUNITY HERITAGE CATEGORY

Recipients

This award is open to one volunteer community-based organization in each of the four Community Council areas as defined by Toronto City Council. The organization must be currently active, and have either initiated or completed a significant activity that promotes, protects or preserves cultural or natural heritage in its specific Community Council area. This is a cash award and no organization is eligible to receive it more than once every five years.

York Pioneer and Historical Society (YPHS)

North York Community Council

The York Pioneer and Historical Society, the oldest historical society in Ontario, was founded in 1869. During the last 142 years, the organization has promoted and preserved the history of Toronto and the County of York through a variety of projects. The Society is the steward of Scadding Cabin, Toronto's oldest surviving house which was rescued from demolition and moved to the Exhibition grounds in 1879. The Society publishes The York Pioneer, an annual journal of articles on local history, and undertakes special projects including books, plaques and artifact collection. Over the past few years, the Society has expanded its audience through a website and electronic newsletters.

Psychiatric Survivor Archives of Toronto (PSAT)

Toronto & East York Community Council

Founded in 2001, the Psychiatric Survivor Archives of Toronto collects and preserves archival material - ranging from written documents to videos - created by persons who have had, or are having, a first-hand experience in the psychiatric system. In the early 2000's, PSAT, in collaboration with the CAMH Archives, began an advocacy campaign to preserve the brick boundary walls, built by psychiatric patients in the 1860s and 1880s, at the Centre for Addiction of Mental Health on Queen Street. In 2010, after a fundraising campaign, PSAT unveiled nine heritage plaques and an audio tour that tell the story of the walls and of other unpaid labour undertaken by psychiatric patients at the Queen Street hospital.

Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association

Toronto & East York Community Council

Over the last eleven years, the Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association has undertaken a project to revitalize Victoria Memorial Square, Toronto's oldest surviving European cemetery and now a City of Toronto park. To commemorate the 1794 burying ground of Fort York, and to revitalize the neglected square, the Association initiated, coordinated and advised the city on the restoration and redesign of the Square. WPNA raised money from developers and others to pay for a design for the park and a restoration plan. As a result of their initiative, archaeological studies were undertaken to confirm the burials and work was done to protect the graves and conserve surviving headstones. In addition, a series of interpretive panels were installed to interpret the Square's long history.

Other Nominees

Bedford Park Centennial Committee

North York Community Council

In September 2011, Bedford Park Public School (located near Yonge St. and Lawrence Ave.) celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Centennial Committee, a subcommittee of the school's parent association, was formed in October 2010 to coordinate the anniversary celebrations. The Committee has researched the history of the school and the neighbourhood and shared the information gathered with alumni and the public through presentations at the anniversary weekend and a website. They also plan to document their work and the archival material collected, to assist future researchers.

Jane-Finch.com

North York Community Council

Jane-Finch.com is a volunteer-run website that highlights the history, art, news and issues of Toronto's Jane-Finch neighbourhood. It was started in 2004 by a couple of local residents who wanted to challenge racial stereotypes about the multicultural area. The website has grown into a community broadcaster, a digital library of living community history, and a social movement, giving local residents a place to share their stories, poems, artwork and videos and ideas, as well as a place to learn about news and issues that affect their community.

Herstories Café

Toronto & East York Community Council

Herstories Café was founded to bring people interested in local women's history together through free café talks, which are generally held at a location historically connected to the evening topic. Topics explored include the history of women teacher's unions and the experience of black women in 19th century Toronto. Herstories Café's goal is to create connections between all those who "do" history: historians, archivists, museum practitioners, teachers, students and history enthusiasts.

Toronto Railway Historical Association

Toronto & East York Community Council

The Toronto Railway Historical Association was formed in 2001 by a group of railway enthusiasts and is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the history of the railway industry, particularly in Toronto. Members have engaged people through tours, artifacts, lectures, publications and a website. Last year, the organization opened the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre at the Canadian Pacific Railway John Street Roundhouse in partnership with the City of Toronto's Culture Division, a museum entirely staffed by volunteers.

The 2011 Heritage Toronto Members' Choice Award was presented to the Toronto Railway Historical Association.