1. York Square and Yorkville Summer of Love Video
Ibrahim Khider
 |
| ACO Toronto at York Square Event, September 2017, photo Vik Pahwa |
On September 12 ACO Toronto held a party for people to revisit York Square, to celebrate this important landmark Toronto project by Diamond and Myers, whose future remains uncertain. The pic above was taken at the event, with Gee Chung, Janet Walters, Matthew Zambri, Penina Coopersmith, and Catherine Nasmith. The video was screened at the event and contains fascinating recollections about Yorkville in the 60's and 70's, as well as footage of architect Jack Diamond recalling the ideas for York Square. There are also interviews with David Depoe, John Sewell, Barbara Hall, Nicholas Jennings, and Clayton Ruby.
If you love Toronto, take 20 minutes to watch.
https://content.jwplatform.com/previews/OKt3aFyM-lNQ1IAI6
2. ACO Awards
Catherine Nasmith
It was a lovely evening at Osgoode Hall. About 100 gathered from across the province to honour some wonderful projects and individuals in a space which lends gravitas to the occasion. Food was great too! I had the fun of handing out the awards and having my picture taken with all the recipients. Thanks to Stephanie Mah for her great photography.
Here's the link to the list of Award winners with a bit about each award and who won.
This was the first year ACO had an outside jury. Thanks so much to Carol Kleinfeldt, Rollo Myers, Steve Otto, Gus Butterfield, Olivia Ashton and Robert Allsopp. ACO also had our submisison program online for the first time. The only disappointment was that there were no nominations for the J.D. Strachan Award given to a craftsperson for outstanding work over a career or in a particular project. It is an important principle of ACO awards that the nominator must be outside of the project team, ie with nothing to gain by winning the award.Thanks to all those who took the time to nominate projects. We know how many people are doing great work out there. It is important to remember to nominate your favourites.
3. 2017 Heritage Toronto Awards Announcement
Heritage Toronto
 |
| BHN Editor and ACO Toronto President, Catherine Nasmith accepting Community Heritage Award (Nice!) |
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
FOR THE 2017 HERITAGE TORONTO AWARDS
October 24, 2017 (Toronto, Ont.) – The winners of the 2017 Heritage Toronto Awards were announced last night during a ceremony hosted by award-winning journalist Christopher Hume. More than 500 guests from Toronto's city-building community attended this flagship networking event at The Carlu. In its 43rd year, the Heritage Toronto Awards recognize extraordinary contributions to the conservation and celebration of Toronto's heritage.
Seven winners were named from 60 nominees in five categories: Community Heritage; Public History; Historical Writing: Short Publication; Historical Writing: Book; and Architectural Conservation and Craftsmanship.
THE WINNERS
Each category is independently judged by a jury of experts.
The Community Heritage Award was presented to:
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, the largest organization of its kind, acquiring, preserving, and providing public access to information on the LGBTQ2+ experience in Canada.
The award offers a $1,000 cash prize.
The jury gave an honourable mention to Toronto Ward Museum, a museum without walls, connecting past migration stories to current struggles through its city-wide programming.
The Members' Choice Award was presented to:
The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, Toronto Branch for its built heritage advocacy, empowering communities to protect their past and plan for the future.
Selected by Heritage Toronto members, the award offers a $1,000 cash prize.
The Public History Award was presented to:
50 Objects that Define Toronto, a five-part TV series highlighting everyday objects that played a role at significant historical moments, and which speak to Toronto's unknown and unique stories.
Creator: Matthew Blackett, Spacing
Producer: Ian Daffern, Bell Media
The jury gave an honourable mention to The World in Ten Blocks, an interactive web documentary that transports users to Bloorcourt through the personal stories of neighbourhood residents.
The Historical Writing: Short Publications Award was presented to:
“Soils and Subways: Excavating Environments during the Building of Rapid Transit in Toronto, 1944-1968”, a book chapter that digs up the dirt, exploring the excavation of Toronto’s early subway lines and its impact on the city's landscape.
Author: Jay Young
Publication: Moving Natures: Mobility and Environment in Canadian History (University of Calgary Press, 2016)
The jury gave an honourable mention to “Canada’s Greatest Cartoonist”, Conan Tobias' article in Taddle Creek on the life and work of cartoonist Lou Skuce.
The Historical Writing: Book Award was presented to:
Picturing Toronto: Photography and the Making of a Modern City, a tribute to the power of the image, demonstrating how early 20th-century photographers influenced the development of modern Toronto.
Author: Sarah Bassnett
Publisher: McGill-Queen’s University Press
The jury gave an honourable mention to 50 Objects that Define Toronto, an ambitious telling of Toronto's story through 50 everyday items, by Matthew Blackett and Jamie Bradburn (Spacing Media Inc.).
Two Architectural Conservation and Craftsmanship Awards were presented to:
Glenview Presbyterian Church, for embracing the accessibility needs of its community while caring for a beautiful heritage building, providing full access to a landmark.
Building Owner: The Trustees of Glenview Presbyterian Church
Architect of Record: Harrison Duong Architects Incorporated (formerly Janet L. Harrison, Architect)
Design Architect: Davidson Langley Incorporated Architects
St. Michael’s Cathedral, for the masterful restoration of its Cathedral Nave and East Chancel window, and taking a balanced approach to meet the current needs of the Church and its parishioners.
Building owner: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto
Architectural firm: +VG Architects
Craftspeople: Clifford Restoration Limited
The jury gave two honourable mentions, one to The Great Hall for its painstaking renovation into a unique event venue and Queen West hot spot, and the other to Casa Loma for its massive revitalization project which took two decades to complete, breathing new life into one of Toronto's most beloved landmarks.
AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
At the ceremony, the Heritage Toronto Board also presented a Special Achievement Award to community advocate and author Arlene Chan for her lifetime commitment to documenting and sharing the Chinese Canadian experience in Toronto; and a Volunteer Service Award to Wilf Neidhardt for his 17-year contribution to Heritage Toronto's work, in particular the Historical Plaques Program.
Heritage Toronto is a charity and agency of the City of Toronto that celebrates and commemorates the city's rich heritage and the diverse stories of its people, places, and events.
- 30 -
For images from the event, more information, or to arrange an interview with a winner, please contact:
Lucy Di Pietro, Manager, Marketing & Outreach
416-338-1339, lucy.dipietro@toronto.ca
Editor's Note:
Twas a grand evening!
4. BOOK REVIEW: Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel
Catherine Nasmith
Chelsea Vowel is Metis, a lawyer who writes with an amusingly clear and sharp tongue. Part of my summer reading was her recent book, Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis and Inuit Issues in Canada, which I highly recommend for anyone trying to gain an understanding of what it is to be indigenous in North America. On the cover is a quote from author Tracey Lindberg, “A rare, rare achievement…. A must read for engaging with the Idea of reconciliation.”
There are five sections in the book, The Terminology of Relationships, Culture and Identity, Myth Busting, State Violence and Land, Learning, Law and Treaties. Within each section there are several short chapters summarizing different issues with a very useful set of notes and references at the end of each for those wanting to explore certain topics in greater depth. It answers so many of the questions many settler Canadians have but don’t know how to ask. For example, the first chapter lists several terms in use; Indian, NDN, Aboriginal, Indigenous, Native, First Nations, Inuit, Mets, Native America, names of particular nations, name of that nation in that nation’s original language and goes on to explain the context for each term, what they mean and when to use them. She also includes a set of pejoratives that should never be used. The book is a fast read. The breadth of the material covered is very wide. The distillation and straightforward language is a real help. It is a great place to start to find the Truth.
I am a settler Canadian. (that's another term from the book) For the past five years I have been reading to try to understand indigenous history and how to respond to indigenous issues and concerns. Or how to even talk to indigenous peoples. I am embarrassed at my own ignorance. Having read this book, I feel better equipped to engage in a conversation and to find the information needed to bridge the colonial and deliberate information gulf that exists between settler and indigenous Canada. Put it on your must-read list.
For more reviews, and how to purchase in hard or e versions: http://apihtawikosisan.com/2016/08/indigenous-writes-ebook-launch/
5. CBC News: Kensington Market Heritage Minute
Ron Charles
New Heritage Minute features Toronto's Kensington Market
 |
| Goldlist Poultry, Tom's Place is in the same building now, owner Tom Mihalik narrates the minute. |
Toronto's Kensington Market, a neighbourhood built by successive waves of newcomers, now has its own Heritage Minute. The latest Heritage Minute is unlike any of the 87 previous ones there are no period costumes or actors playing central figures in Canadian history. Instead, watercolour-style animation tells the story of a little Jewish chicken shop that gave way to a Portuguese fish market that was itself replaced by a Jamaican music store.The 60-second story chronicles change in the popular downtown Toronto neighbourhood and half a century's worth of Canadian immigration.
Filmmaker Michael Goldlist pitched and wrote the new Heritage Minute, which begins with the story of a chicken shop his grandfather, Charles Goldlist, ran for decades. Charles Goldlist was a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Canada from Poland in 1948 when Kensington Market was a largely Jewish immigrant neighbourhood.
Click here for Link
6. BlogTO: WE Headquarters at Queen and Parliament in Toronto
Liz Power
This Might be Toronto's Nicest Office Space
This might be Toronto's nicest new office space
Queen and Parliament just got a whole lot more exciting with the opening of the beautiful new
WE headquarters at the southwest corner of the intersection. The building's been
under construction for ages, but the finished product looks like it was certainly worth the wait. The WE Global Learning Centre has taken residence in a re-purposed century-old building that now functions as a state of the art office complete with an 'empatheatre' that seats 200, full broadcast studio, and an open concept/interactive design featuring Canadian-made furniture throughout the space.
We Charity is an international charity and part of the Free the Children organization with a central focus on education and community development.
The lobby featuring one of many interactive display screens mounted throughout the space. Photo courtesy of WE.
It's looking to integrate its new headquarters with the Corktown community by offering programming and outreach projects and has asked the city to become a partner in the
Stronger Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 and work with the local council to provide services for Regent Park residents.For years the building was host to a successive line of furniture stores, including the long-standing Marty Millionaire from 1978 to 2014, and before that it even
housed a bowling alley on the second floor for nearly 50 years.
The open concept work environment. Photo courtesy of WE.
The revitalization is part of trend to retain heritage sites and transform them into
commercial businesses or
office spaces. While the building at 345 Queen St. East was long known for its
teal-painted exterior, WE opted to return facade to its former glory as part of the conversion project.
A meeting room overlooking the intersection. Photo courtesy of k2 Designworks.
Kohn Partnership Architects has done a deft job at updating the space for use as an office while also retaining its historical character. But a big part of the story is also the interior design.“WE’s vision was to have this facility support teachers and youth around the world, from local to remote communities, in a building that would encourage a new culture, a new synergy in the way they work,” says Karin Karak of
k2 Designworks.
Click here for Link
7. BlogTO: Don Mills and Eglinton Reboot
Lauren O'Neill
Giant Development Coming to North of the Ontario Science Centre
New renderings have emerged of a massive planned community near Eglinton and Don Mills Road, giving us further insight this week into how the Crosstown LRT could eventually transform the City of Toronto.
Called "Wynford Green," the 60-acre development is slated for the site where IBM Canada originally built its headquarters in 1951.
A consortium has been working for years on a redevelopment plan for the sprawling industrial complex, now known as The Celestica electronics property, and if all goes as planned it will be up and running within four years just in time for the arrival of the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT.
This diagram shows the proposed neighbourhood's composition in terms of building or public space type. Image via Diamond Corp.
Wynford Green is described as a "transit-oriented" development that would be comprised of residential, commercial and office buildings. It would also include low-rise townhouses, a series of pedestrian linkages, bike paths, new streets and tons of parks.
When completed, the area is projected to house roughly 10,000 new residents and workers and about six acres of new public space.
Editor's Note:
This development looks a lot like development south east of Don Mills and Eglinton in Flemingdon Park, a mix of towers and towns, plus retail and some office at the edge. Concerns remain about the future of the existing first generation of development buildings, the former IBM headquarters and 70's office buildings.
Click here for Link
8. Now Magazine: TD Centre
Richard Longley
TD Centre fallout
When Ontario Premier John Robarts cut the ribbon at the formal opening on May 13, 1968 of the Toronto-Dominion Centre’s two black towers, the timing was fortuitous. Less than six weeks earlier, humanoids of an imagined future made first contact with a mysterious black monolith in the premiere of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In Don Mills, construction of Raymond Moriyama’s Ontario Science Centre would not be completed until 1969, and Eb Zeidler’s Ontario Place, the city’s most Expo-like structure, not until 1971. But downtown, where the only high buildings were Commerce Court and the Royal York Hotel, the two colossal structures of 56 and 46 storeys completed in 1967, in black-painted steel and bronze-tinted glass, rose like arrivals from another world over the city’s core.
What caused this marvel?
When the Dominion Bank and the Bank of Toronto merged in 1955, it was determined that a new Toronto-Dominion bank would replace the majestic Beaux-Arts Bank of Toronto. Where it needed only seven storeys of floor space, TD would build a total of 102, convinced that where it built, it would grow and others would come.
Developer William Zeckendorf proposed the largest concrete building in the British Commonwealth. Toronto-Dominion president Allen Lambert rejected it and turned instead to Fairview, the real estate arm of realtor and whisky magnate Sam Bronfman’s Cemp Investments. Bronfman had a daughter, Phyllis Lambert (no relation to Allen) who shared Allen’s passion for architecture.
She had made her mark on Canadian architecture years earlier as “she who shall be obeyed” after a letter she wrote to her father regarding the Seagram Building he was about to build in New York. Its design appalled her.
“You must put up a building which expresses the best of the society in which you live, and at the same time your hopes for the betterment of this society. You have a great responsibility and your building is not only for the people of your companies, it is much more for all people, in New York and the rest of the world.”
The first design was abandoned, and German modernist Mies van der Rohe would be commissioned for the Seagram Building. The result was a triumph that would be repeated in Toronto, when Phyllis persuaded Allen Lambert – without much difficulty – to select van der Rohe to design the Toronto-Dominion Centre.
Click here for Link
9. NOW: Toronto Dominion Center
Pauline Berkowitz
The Toronto-Dominion Centre 50 years later:
How Mies van der Rohe's creation remains a declaration of grandeur and an optimistic statement of Toronto’s arrival on the world stage.
Strong and dominating in their scale, simple, modern and elegant in their design, they soared over a confused mixture of small, classical structures beneath them.When they were built 50 years ago, the TD towers completely transformed the city’s skyline. TD’s leaders at the time envisioned creating a great building for a deserving city. The design and development of the towers was an optimistic statement of Toronto’s progress and innovation. The design, created by the celebrated pioneer of modern architecture Mies van der Rohe, was a declaration of grandeur and marked Toronto’s arrival on the world stage.
Click here for Link
10. Globe and Mail: Ron Thom House near Peterborough
Dave LeBlanc
Modernist home designed by Ron Thom blends into natural landscape
In the early 1970s, after enjoying international acclaim with both Torontos Massey College and Peterboroughs Trent University, architect Ron Thom didnt let moss grow under his feet.
As head of the team that would deliver the gargantuan Metropolitan Toronto Zoo in Scarboroughs upper corner, a 1971 Globe article quoted the brilliant young architect (who was then 48-years-old) as describing the pavilions thusly: These things must look right to the animals before they look right to the people. The buildings must merge into the landscape. Of the old Riverdale Zoo, he added, I regard it as an animal jail.
Ward House, designed by architect Ron Thom, overlooking the Village of Mount Pleasant near Peterborough, Ont.
These thoughts, minus the animals, must have been with him as he put pencil to paper to design a home for Canadian General Electric CEO Walter Ward around the same time.Overlooking the Village of Mount Pleasant near Peterborough, the low-slung and very un-prison-like home is part Prairie Style, part Asian temple, part resort at just under 4,000 square feet, and all Ron Thom artistry, although the Thom Partnership was so busy then North Yorks Japanese-inspired Prince Hotel and the Shaw Festival Theatre would have been in development also the architect had to call on his former colleagues for help. Ron could not resist doing houses for clients even though it took time away from the more important work in the office. So he would work on the design at home in the evenings, says architect Bill Lett Sr., who worked under Mr. Thom during the Trent University days of the 1960s. Since Mr. Letts new firm, Lett/Smith Architects, which he established with Peter Smith in 1973, was starving for work, he was only too happy to prepare final design drawings and working drawings and oversee the permit process and construction (by Huffman) for Mr. Wards house.
Click here for Link
11. Globe and Mail:Death of Architect Dan Hanganu
Architect Dan Hanganu was a rule-breaking creator of Quebec landmarks
 |
| Architect Dan Hanganu |
Few architects have enriched the country with such distinctive exuberance as Dan Hanganu. The Romanian-born, Montreal-based architect, who died on Oct. 5 at the age of 78, led the life of the proverbial successful immigrant, seizing Canadian opportunities and adopting the country's essential values while letting the culture of his homeland inform his work. His landmark projects are almost all in Quebec, but they have generated strong international acclaim.
Deeply influenced by his early life and training in Romania, Mr. Hanganu sought a counterpoint to what he saw as the formulaic rigidity of conventional modern architecture. This ethos would drive the design of his 1992 breakout project, Montreal's Pointe-à-Callière archeology museum, designed in consortium with Provencher Roy. A limestone-clad triangular building with a jogged cylindrical prow, it literally reveals the city's history by showcasing actual archeological remnants embedded in the lower floor, with exhibition and educational spaces on the upper floors.
Click here for Link
12. You Tube: Save the Bala Falls Video
Save the Bala Falls
Kathleen Wynne Bala is Calling
 |
| Protest on Labour Day Weekend |
In spite of a dozen years of protest and expression of well researched and credible concerns, the power plant in Bala has begun construction. All the trees have been cleared, and the town looks like a war zone. This video asks a lot of very good questions that just haven't been answered. Remediation plans show a portage re-instated which is to be applauded, but there are questions about turbulence and undertows caused by the plant which may make the portage, and former fishing and boating areas unusuable. There are also questions about potential flooding during construction.
The Wynne government has stonewalled this group for over a decade. It is hard to understand why. Bala deserves some answers.
Here Minister Kathryn McGarry responds to question from Norm Miller, the MPP for Muskoka. I am a fan of McGarry, a former ACO President, but do find the answer that the plant has to be built in order to take measurements for safety measures, that the proponent, not the government is responsible for safet rather cart before horse, and?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks7zPL5JnaM
Click here for Link
13. Niagara at Large: Thorold Wins Prince of Wales Prize
Pamela Minns
City of Thorold wins national recognition with prestigious Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership
Niagara, Ontario – In the world of HERITAGE, the Prince of Wales Prize is the Academy Award – it is the Oscar of all awards, and for 2017 the City of Thorold has been given this honour.
The revitalization of downtown Thorold has received national attention and has been a project done in partnership with local heritage advocates like Pamela Minns, local businesses, Thorold’s city council and the provincial and federal governments.
It is delivered through the National Trust for Canada, and we have been informed that “the independent awards jury was unanimous in its decision to honour Thorold for its long standing commitment to heritage policies and programs that help preserve and celebrate its rich industrial history”.
Prince Charles himself reviewed and endorsed the jury’s recommendation, and wrote the congratulatory message which was read at the Awards event at National Trust’s annual conference held in Ottawa this year – October 11th – 14th, 2017. A number of additional awards were presented to various people from all over our country for their contributions to Canada’s heritage.
Plaque for the historic Beaverdams Church citizens in the Thorold area are working hard to save as part of our region’s early community heritage
Established in 1999 under the generous patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, this Prize honours a municipal government for ”exemplary commitment to the preservation of heritage, identity and sense of place within its boundaries”. This award re-defines a community; in Thorold it has permanently moved us from our reputation as an “industrial town”, to a heritage destination.
Click here for Link
14. Honeycat Productions: Welland celebrates its Heritage sites with a new film
Diana Williamson
Welland's 27 Designated Properties celebrated on film
The Welland Heritage Advisory Committee commissioned a film to celebrate the owners of the 27 "designated heritage" properties.
A gala presentation was held at City Hall on Thursday, Sept 28, with the mayor Frank Campion and other dignitaries in attendance.
The Welland Heritage Advisory Planning Committee consists of: Rose Dzugan, Nora Reid, Diane Zakraysek, Bridget Krajnak, Penny Morningstar and intern Andrew Thorpe.
It was produced by Diana Williamson of Honeycat Productions who specializes in heritage properties.
Click here for Link
