Heritage & Cultural Planning

One of the earliest European settlements in the Province of Ontario, Sainte Marie among the Hurons is a site of national heritage significance and international interest. The challenge of assembling a conservation plan for three fireplace ruins at this important historic site offered an opportunity to approach conservation by first asking how to best interpret...

At the core of Kingston’s historic downtown is the Market Square Heritage Conservation District – an area defined by a fine collection of 19th and 20th buildings encircling the city’s Market Square. The District, originally written by Lily Inglis and Harold Kalman, is one of the earliest commercial heritage conservation districts in Ontario. The District...

In May 2010, ERA Architects partnered with urbanMetrics to develop a business strategy for the Ruhl Farmstead and John Willmott Farmhouse, two mid-1800s properties located in Milton, Ontario, a town undergoing rapid change. The challenge in this project was to develop a conservation strategy of the site’s built and natural heritage while responding to Milton’s...

John Lyle originally purchased this site for his architectural studio in 1919 and he built a two-storey office/studio in the following year. He remained here until his retirement in 1943. The studio has been heavily altered since its construction but many heritage elements remain, including the three-bays of the south façade and the fireplace on...

The Gooderham and Worts Historic District is a National Historic Site and former home to the largest distillery in Canada. The complex is a remarkable example of an intact Victorian industrial property. Particular buildings of interest include the Stone Distillery and the Maltings. ERA is the Architect-of-Record for the overall project and Heritage Architect for...

The Union Station Train Shed, designed by A.R. Ketterson, a Toronto Terminals Railway Assistant Bridge Engineer, was built in 1929-30. The design was a variation on the Bush train shed invented by American Engineer Lincoln Bush in 1904. Bush sheds replaced the large, expensive, and difficult-to-maintain balloon-framed sheds that were common in 19th-century Europe. Smoke...

The Bishop’s Block, a designated heritage property, was built circa 1829. It is considered one of the oldest buildings left in Toronto’s downtown core. Originally consisting of five upscale Georgian row houses, the Block housed the Adelaide Hotel in the early 20th century and more recently the popular Pretzel Bell Tavern. By 2005 the building...

Working with the City of Toronto and the Martin Prosperity Institute, ERA is developing a series of maps visualizing the creative economy in Toronto. These maps build on ERA’s previous work mapping cultural facilities, cultural corridors, the distribution of public and private institutions, and historic formal development in Toronto.

The Canada Maltings Co. is a former industrial complex located at the foot of Bathurst Quay in Toronto. The site consists of two large silo structures, distribution rooms, a head house, link structures and other accessory buildings. The complex was continually developed throughout the 20th century with the earliest structures on the site dating back...

The Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI) is a provincially operated regional resource centre in London, Ontario, that provides diagnostic assessment, consultation, education, research, and short-term treatment services for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. The subject site occupies a 56-hectare parcel of land and is acknowledged for its cultural heritage significance. The...

ERA was part of a consultant team that prepared the Avenues and Mid-rise Buildings Study for the City of Toronto. The study provided recommendations for urban design, policy, and processes to guide and encourage future mid-rise development along the City’s avenues, an area that covers 162 km in length. Working with team lead Brook McIlroy...

The section of Dundas Street West stretching between University Ave. and Bathurst St. is an important tourist destination and is recognized as a potential creative corridor for the City of Toronto. In 2010, the City commissioned a streetscape study for this section of the street to improve the quality of the public realm, identify distinct...