Building Conservation

Victoria Memorial Square is the City of Toronto’s first European cemetery. It was created in 1793/94 by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe shortly after the establishment of the Garrison at York and the founding of the town. Simcoe’s infant daughter, Katherine, was one of the first to be buried at the cemetery which was closed...

Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital was founded on this site in 1923. In 1930, a new surgical wing was built by architects Kaminker & Richmond, and the hospital remained on this site until 1953. Subsequently it became a nurse’s residence and then a senior citizens’ home. The property was designated in 1985, but the 1930 wing...

The project includes the development of a condominium and rental building and the heritage designation of the University Apartments and the McKinsey Building. The University Apartments were designed by S. B. Coon & Son, an architectural firm formed in 1912. ERA’s work involves the conservation and renovation of the University Apartments. The McKinsey Building is...

The Artscape Wychwood Barns are located on the southwest corner of Wychwood and Benson Avenues, near St. Clair Avenue. The modular structure to house streetcars was built between 1913 and 1921 for the Toronto Civic Railway, a transportation system that played a significant role in the development of the newly annexed suburban areas in the...

Built in 1857 and designed by H.B. Sinclair, Cambridge City Hall is a fine example of Italianate public design and is an important heritage landmark. Over the years substantial changes have been made to the building, including a major renovation in 1965 by Peter Stokes and subsequent remodeling in 1990. ERA was appointed on two...

The Ruthven Park National Historic Site consists of one of Canada’s finest Greek Revival mansions, which sits on 1,478 acres of property along the Grand River in southwestern Ontario. ERA was retained as the heritage architectural consultant on a conservation management plan team restoring Ruthven Park. We provided detailed assessments and historical studies of the...

The “Asylum Wall” borders the site of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) at 1001 Queen Street West. Originally built in 1861, the Asylum Wall completely surrounded the Toronto Asylum grounds, and is the only surviving built element of the original asylum existing on site. The Asylum Wall is designated under Part IV...

The Kerr Log House is one of few remaining two-storey log houses in Southern Ontario. Built around 1845 by the Kerr family, early settlers of the former Albion Township. The log house was dismantled and donated to the Town of Caledon in the fall of 2001. Since this time members of the local heritage community...

The Royal Ontario Museum is a national cultural and architectural landmark, and is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act by the City of Toronto. Since its opening in 1914, the building has undergone several significant additions by prominent local architects, resulting in a fine building that displays the regional development of early...

St. Lawrence Hall was completed in 1850. Designed by William Thomas, it was established to provide a venue for social gatherings in the city. The property is designated by the City of Toronto under part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. In 1967 the building was extensively restored and renovated to commemorate the Canadian Centennial....

The William Crowther House was built in 1889 by a Toronto merchant, who occupied it until 1927. The house was built in the Queen Anne Revival style, showcasing gables and dormers with elaborate woodwork, hipped gabled roofs and red brick with sandstone foundations and detailing. The house bears witness to the former residential character of...

This project converted the Loretto Abbey School in the Annex, a designated heritage property, into residential condominium units with new townhouses constructed at the back of the property. ERA was retained to assess the heritage building, prepare a restoration plan and provide exterior conservation services. ERA worked in collaboration with architectsAlliance and Quadrangle Architects.