Building Conservation
Spotlight
2 Queen Street West
2 Queen Street West has served shoppers on the corner of Yonge and Queen since its construction in 1895. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style in a rare partnership between Samuel Curry and Francis S. Baker, the building first opened as the P. Jamieson Clothier Outfitter. It was eventually surrounded by the rise of the...
The University of Toronto’s FitzGerald Building
The University of Toronto’s FitzGerald Building is a 1927 Georgian Revival-style heritage building situated on the south end of St. George Campus. Originally built as a state-of-the-art facility for the Faculty of Medicine and the newly created Connaught Laboratories, the uses have subsequently moved to other locations. ERA was engaged as the heritage architect for...
The Flatiron Building
An icon of the Toronto streetscape, the Gooderham Building was the headquarters for the Gooderham and Worts distillery complex further east at Parliament and Mill Streets. The building was designed by architect David Roberts Jr. and built in 1892. The much-photographed “flatiron” building is the architectural anchor for the St. Lawrence market neighbourhood. The property...
Mnjikaning Fish Weirs
Mnjikaning Fish Weirs is the largest and best-preserved wooden fish weirs known in eastern North America, in use from approximately 3,300 B.C. “Mnjikaning” is an Ojibway word meaning “the place of the fish fence”, which is located at the narrows between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. Mnjinkaning Fish Weirs is a National Historic Site. Fish...
Chapters – Runnymede Theatre
Built in the 1927-28 and designed by Chapman & Oxley, the Runnymede was a rare type of cinema called an “atmospheric theatre” that projected images of moving clouds onto its sky-blue ceiling. The building remained a cinema until its conversion into a Chapters bookstore in 1998. A designated heritage property, ERA provided architectural heritage consulting...
Maritime Life Building
Built in 1909-1910, this Edwardian Baroque building was designed for the Bank of Montreal by the Toronto architectural firm of Darling and Pearson. A designated heritage property, this building is prominently located in downtown Toronto. ERA was contracted to provide a heritage conservation plan to be incorporated into the adaptive reuse of this designated building...
Direct Energy Centre
The principal project created new exhibition halls, and incorporated the existing stone and brick Coliseum Complex, dating from 1922-26. ERA directed the restoration and reconstruction of the previously demolished south elevation of the Coliseum Arena and design integration at the junction of the old and new buildings. In a subsequent project, ERA advised on the...
Ryrie Building
The Ryrie Building is an innovative nineteenth-century commercial development designed by architects Langley & Burke and constructed in 1891 with an addition by Horwood & White in 1913-14. The Ryrie Building is listed on the City of Toronto’s inventory of heritage properties. ERA has been involved in a long-term renovation program including interior and exterior...
279 Yonge St, (formerly Hard Rock Cafe)
The building at 279-283 Yonge Street was constructed in 1918 as a “Childs Restaurant”. The restaurant was part of a chain based in New York City, where the Childs Company employed New York architect John Chorley Westervelt to design their Toronto premises. Its distinctive design employs decorative white-glazed terra cotta as a cladding material on...
Colborne Lodge
Built in 1836, Colborne Lodge is listed on Toronto’s inventory of heritage properties.It is an early example of the regency cottage in Ontario. Chimney repair, environmental and programming modifications, accessibility and landscape improvements have been undertaken on an ongoing basis. ERA provided heritage architectural services for a program of maintenance, covering all stages of the...
Ladywood
Built in 1892, Ladywood was one of the earliest summer homes designed by the prominent Toronto architect Frank Darling. Built in the Shingle Style, the house had extensive and picturesque outbuildings and fine exterior finishes. ERA was retained to provide a comprehensive assessment report of the building’s condition and a phased restoration plan, as well...
