October 10, 2014 at 10:30 am

cityscape

Ten of Toronto’s Unique Heritage Achievements

From Corinthian columns to the last stacked theatres in the world, a look at our heritage and the people who worked to preserve it.

By Heritage Toronto

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333983 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce—Award of Merit, 1979 This award was presented to CIBC in 1979 for their expensive and painstaking 18-month long renovation and restoration of Commerce Court North, which was built in 1930 as the headquarters for the Canadian Bank of Commerce. According to CIBC, this new building was a statement of confidence in the bank’s stability and in the development of Canada. The 34-storey limestone tower was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth for almost three decades. Photo courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, William James family fonds. BankofCommerce1930 https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BankofCommerce1930-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BankofCommerce1930.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BankofCommerce1930.jpg 640 803 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/bankofcommerce1930/ bankofcommerce1930 0 0

333991 Herbert Spencer Clark—Award of Merit, 1983 Herbert Spencer Clark and his wife Rosa established “The Guild of All Arts” in the 1930s. Their goal was to re-establish traditional handicrafts in the style of William Morris. Clark and his wife invited artists to the Guild, where they were provided with room and board in exchange for sharing their works and skills with the Guild and its visitors. The Clarks also gathered pieces of architecture from demolished historic buildings around Toronto and hired stonemasons to reconstruct them all over the Guild’s grounds. Clark dedicated his life to the Guild, continuing the site’s operation and further enrichment until he was eighty years old. Photo courtesy of Guildwood Village Residents Association. TheClarks https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TheClarks-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TheClarks.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TheClarks.jpg 500 332 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/theclarks/ theclarks 0 0

333989 The Guild Renaissance Group—Community Heritage Award, 2007 The Guild Renaissance Group was formed by a group of volunteer citizens in 1997 to aid the City in repairing and upgrading Herbert Spencer Clark’s legacy, The Guild, to restore it as a place for arts and culture. According to the Group, they are "working to resurrect the Clarks' dream by creating a cultural facility to encourage excellence in the arts in an environment that inspires participants and audiences alike." This award was presented to the Guild Renaissance Group for its dedication to the restoration of the cultural landscape of The Guild and the return of arts and crafts programming in the tradition of Spencer and Rosa Clark's "The Guild of All Arts." Photo from the Guild Renaissance Group. rsz_11guild-corinthian_column https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rsz_11guild-corinthian_column-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rsz_11guild-corinthian_column.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rsz_11guild-corinthian_column.jpg 990 743 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/rsz_11guild-corinthian_column/ rsz_11guild-corinthian_column 0 0

333986 William Kilbourn—Award of Merit, 1985 and 1994 William Kilbourn was a renowned author, activist, and politician who received several Heritage Toronto awards in the past for his contributions towards preserving and documenting Toronto’s history. His first award was presented in 1985 for his many efforts to promote Toronto's history, particularly with the 1984 publication of Toronto Remembered, which was completed as part of Toronto's Sesquicentennial celebrations. He received a second award in 1994 for his authorship of Intimate Grandeur: One Hundred Years at Massey Hall. In 1996, the William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture was introduced to posthumously honour the man who dedicated so much of his life towards preserving Toronto’s history. Photo courtesy of Dundurn Press. Kilbournsbook https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Kilbournsbook1-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Kilbournsbook1.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Kilbournsbook1.jpg 190 294 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/kilbournsbook-2/ kilbournsbook-2 0 0

333982 Revue Film Society—Community Heritage Award, 2009 The Revue Film Society was founded in May 2006, when local residents were first made aware that the Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles Avenue would be closing its doors after almost a hundred years of continuous operation. Word spread fast, with supporters canvassing neighbourhoods and raising awareness. By the end of the year, the Society had raised more than $100,000. The Theatre was finally purchased on August 1, 2007; since that time the Revue Film Society has operated the Cinema, while continuing to spread awareness of the theatre’s history by hosting lectures and publishing a newsletter. Photo by Alex Laney. 1280px-Revue-cinema-2007-10-18 PHOTO CREDIT MUST GO TO ALEX LAINEY https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1280px-Revue-cinema-2007-10-18-PHOTO-CREDIT-MUST-GO-TO-ALEX-LAINEY-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1280px-Revue-cinema-2007-10-18-PHOTO-CREDIT-MUST-GO-TO-ALEX-LAINEY.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1280px-Revue-cinema-2007-10-18-PHOTO-CREDIT-MUST-GO-TO-ALEX-LAINEY.jpg 1280 960 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/1280px-revue-cinema-2007-10-18-photo-credit-must-go-to-alex-lainey/ 1280px-revue-cinema-2007-10-18-photo-credit-must-go-to-alex-lainey 0 0

333984 The Riot at Christie Pits—Award of Merit, 1997 In 1997, Ira Levy and Peter Williamson produced a film entitled The Riot at Christie Pits, which focuses on the worst race riot in Canada’s history. The riot, which took place on August 16, 1933, occurred in the context of a rising tide of anti-semetic and xenophobic sentiments in the city, and specifically broke out after swastikas were displayed at a series of local baseball games. According to its producers, the film uses “contemporary and historical footage, reenactments and eyewitness accounts” and “offers insight, compassion and humour and a warning that hatred can lurk in the heart of any city.” This is the only known photo of the riot, from the City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1266, Item 30791. f1266_it30791.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Christie_Pits_riot-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Christie_Pits_riot.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Christie_Pits_riot.jpg 475 361 {"caption":"Local Input~The only photo of the riot at Christie Pits; courtesy Toronto Archives; fonds 1266, Globe and Mail Collection, item 30791","title":"f1266_it30791.jpg"} https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/f1266_it30791-jpg/ f1266_it30791-jpg 0 0

333990 A.R.N. "Bob" Woadden—Award of Merit, 1985 Bob Woadden received this award in 1985 for his pioneering achievements in preserving the documentary heritage of the City of Toronto in his capacity as the first City Archivist. Starting in 1960, with two staff and a minimal budget, Woadden organized the development of a records and archives organization for the City of Toronto. By the time he retired in 1984, the organization had forty-five staff members responsible for programs including records analysis, micrographics and photography, conservation, documentary art, and a satellite exhibition gallery. Woadden’s work as the first City Archivist firmly established the City of Toronto Archives as an integral cog in Toronto’s administrative machinery. Image courtesy of the City of Toronto archives. titlebanner-cityarchives2 https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rsz_cityoftorontoarchivesbanner-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rsz_cityoftorontoarchivesbanner.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rsz_cityoftorontoarchivesbanner.jpg 1000 150 {"title":"titlebanner-cityarchives2"} https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/titlebanner-cityarchives2/ titlebanner-cityarchives2 0 0

333987 Toronto Public Library—Certificate of Commendation, 1992 The High Park Branch of the Toronto Public Library at 228 Roncesvalles Avenue was the second of three libraries built in 1916 with a $50,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Chief Librarian George Locke worked with the architects Eden Smith & Sons “to reproduce some of that Collegiate Grammar School architecture of the time of Edward VI […] adapted to modern requirements." The Toronto Public Library received a Heritage Toronto Award in 1992 for the building’s second renovation, which included an addition to the original building. While the three Carnegie libraries (High Park, Wychwood, and Beaches) were originally identical, subsequent renovations and additions have made each building unique. Photo courtesy of the Toronto Public Library. LibraryBranch https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/LibraryBranch-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/LibraryBranch.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/LibraryBranch.jpg 700 537 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/librarybranch/ librarybranch 0 0

333988 MaRS Discovery District and Adamson Associate Architects—Award of Excellence, 2006 The Toronto General Hospital boasts many research achievements, including the development and first clinical use of insulin. This discovery and many others occurred at the corner of University and College within the Hospital’s College Wing, which was built in 1913. After the relocation of Toronto General in 2005 to its new location just south on University, the College Wing was redeveloped for use within the new MaRS Centre. The preservation and enhancement of significant heritage features of the original building mark this redevelopment as an excellent example of adaptive reuse. Photo courtesy of Adamson Associate Architects. mars-1 https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/mars-1-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/mars-1.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/mars-1.jpg 570 570 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/mars-1-2/ mars-1-2 0 0

333985 Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre—Award of Excellence, 2012 In 2012, the Ontario Heritage Trust and Taylor Hazell Architects completed the restoration of the two-storey, Beaux-Art style terra cotta façade of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre. The Centre is a National Historic Site, dating back to 1913, and has been host to hundreds of entertainers, including George Burns, Milton Berle, and Conan O’Brien. It is the last operating double decker theatre in the world. Photo courtesy of the Ontario Heritage Trust. ElginWinterGarden1 https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ElginWinterGarden1-100x100.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ElginWinterGarden1.jpg https://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ElginWinterGarden1.jpg 460 413 [] https://torontoist.com/2014/10/ten-of-torontos-unique-heritage-achievements-3/slide/elginwintergarden1/ elginwintergarden1 0 0

Torontoist is pleased to be the media sponsor for the 40th annual Heritage Toronto Awards and William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture. In celebration of the 40th annual Heritage Toronto Awards coming up on October 21, we’re highlighting 40 of Toronto’s unique achievements in heritage.

The last four decades of the Heritage Toronto Awards have seen a host of impressive books, short publications, media projects, individuals, community organizations, and architectural endeavours that have made significant efforts to recognize, preserve, and promote the city’s rich history.

From now until October 16, each Friday we’ll feature 10 past Heritage Toronto Awards winners in celebration of the event’s 40th anniversary.

cityscape

Ten of Toronto’s Unique Heritage Achievements

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