Heritage Toronto has announced the nominees for the 49th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards. The awards recognize preservation and innovation efforts that celebrate this city's rich history, with nominations across three categories: Books, Public History, and Built Heritage.
This year, the Built Heritage category features 13 nominees, with awards coming that will recognize the best of crafts and trades work, adaptive reuse, and heritage planning and architecture. Here are this year’s nominees:
The Case Goods Warehouse has been revitalized for Collège Boréal. Originally constructed in 1927, the building's brick walls, timber posts, and ceilings have been preserved by ERA Architects. The project retains the architectural character of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery District.
This transformation preserves the historic facade of the original 1904 building while supporting a modern, LEED-certified 47-storey skyscraper that grows from it to the northwest. Designed by AS + GG Architecture and B+H Architects for Cadillac Fairview, the project includes a restoration of exterior of the Robert Simpson Company’s first mail-order warehouse.
KingSett Capital has restored a four-storey late Victorian/early Edwardian brick building, originally constructed in 1899. Underseen by ERA Architects, efforts focused on a gentle paint removal process that preserved the brick's original patina and historically appropriate wood windows.
Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Tribute Communities and Greybrook Realty Partners, construction of a new 27-storey condominium tower on the site close to Main Street subway station involved relocating an Ontario Cottage-style house, originally built in 1887. Heritage elements include dichromatic brick detailing and decorative metal trims.
Originally built in 1890, this building on Brunswick Avenue was acquired by the First Narayever Congregation in 1943. Designed by LGA Architectural Partners, alterations include a new at-grade entrance and a shifted sanctuary, alongside solar panels and green roofs.
The Queen's Wharf Lighthouse on Lake Shore Boulevard east of Strachan, affectionately known as ‘Little Red’, was restored by Clifford Restoration, preserving one of Toronto's few remaining 19th-century lighthouses. Efforts included the replacement of cedar shingles and the restoration of its lantern, catwalk, and cupola.
Featuring an architectural team including NORR Architects & Engineers Limited, EVOQ Architecture Inc., and Zeidler Architecture, key elements of the revitalization include seismic upgrades, environmental remediation, a new retail level, and glass-covered pedestrian routes. Portions of the station remain under construction and renovation.
Dating back to 1929, this side-by-side building complex on the south side of Sankofa Square highlights the era's Art Deco style. Giaimo's restoration process involved stripping away decades of material layers to reveal original architectural details like the heightened ceilings and expansive floor spaces.
Originally serving the late 19th-century print industry, the Downtown site between Victoria and Church streets featured featured Romanesque details such as arched windows and Bartizans at the parapet level. Led by ERA Architects for Great Gulf, this project preserved these architectural features while introducing a hand-painted mural and heritage interpretation panels, while connecting it to a new condominium tower rising to the north.
The Canadian Westinghouse Building at King Street West and Blue Jays Way reflects the architectural style of Chicago's tall buildings era, characterized by detailed terra cotta framing and ornamental cornices. Incorporated in a complex of new buildings designed by Arcadis, this restoration of the facade includes replication of its steel windows, as part of the new King Blue hotel from the Greenland Group.
Winchester: Supportive Housing for Women
This Cabbagetown area project redeveloped two semi-detached heritage residences into a unified facility for Margaret’s Housing and Community Support Services. Hilditch Architect and GBCA Architects restored the facade and interiors, with 35 units including seven adaptable suites designed for barrier-free access.
Formerly home to the Weston Bakery, which famously produced Wonder Bread, the Leslieville area site is now repurposed into a mixed-use residential complex by Graywood Developments and Alterra Group of Companies. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, and GBCA Architects, it preserves the Edwardian brick facade as part of the new U-shaped building.
Wychwood Neighbourhood Branch Library
Designed by Shoalts and Zaback Architects, the original 1916 structure on Bathurst Street south of St Clair was restored with an addition that doubled the facility's space. The addition is separated by a two-story internal space, while enhancements include a lowered entrance for accessibility, a staircase, and a vertical lift within the new wing.
The winners will be announced at the award ceremony taking place at The Carlu on October 28, 2024.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about them from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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