The Cornell Campbell Farmstead is a local landmark and a remnant of a period of agricultural significance in Scarborough’s history. The property retains an intact farmstead with historical associations of the Late Woodland period (AD 1300-1500), and 19th to early 20th-century farming practices and settlement patterns.

ERA Architects in joint venture with HOK were retained by the City of Toronto to prepare the Horticultural Landscape Plan that set the vision and guiding framework for future development of the Cornell Campbell Farmstead, a vision that would be sensitive to the natural and cultural heritage of the site.

ERA led the visioning and development of design themes that took inspiration from the site’s history and agrarian context. The design themes were intended to conserve the cultural and built heritage features identified on the property, and to enhance the Plan by rooting the design in the layered history of the site and new ideas of urban horticulture.

The plan set the framework for a rich and dynamic community space that provides food production and educational opportunities that enhances the health and well-being of the community while making key historical and contextual themes legible to the public once again.