Arts & Culture

The oldest remaining brick house in Toronto, the Grange is a fine example of Georgian architecture, with bricks likely made onsite from local clay. It features a stone portico; a low-hipped roof with a central circular light; double-hung windows with brick lintels and louvered wooden shutters; and a front entrance with moulded reveal, semi-circular fanlight,...

The Heritage Theatre, formally the Capital Theatre, has a long history within the city of Brampton. Built in 1923 to feature silent movies and then transformed into a performance theatre, it has a long legacy in being host to up-and-coming stars. The construction of the new Performing Arts Centre nearby marked the development of Brampton’s...

The Sony Centre (known as Meridian Hall since 2019) is a modernist concert hall built in 1959-60 and designed by Toronto architect Earle C. Morgan and Peter Dickinson of Page + Steele Architects. The property is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act by the City of Toronto. ERA was engaged to provide...

The Canadian Film Centre is located on a 1930’s neo-Georgian estate of one of Canada’s leading businessmen, the late E.P. Taylor. The estate comprises many buildings including a gatehouse, stables and gardener’s cottage set in a formalized landscape. The cultural significance of the site and associated buildings relates to the continued progression of the Canadian...

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 Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology, a National Historic Site and a Civil and Power Engineering Landmark, was designed by Thomas Coltrin Keefer and built by the City of Hamilton from 1856-1859. The Pumphouse and Pumping Station are designated by the City of Hamilton under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property...

The Allenby Theatre (also re-named the 99cent Roxy) opened in 1935 and was designed by the well-known Toronto architectural firm Kaplan and Sprachman. Kaplan and Sprachman were responsible for the design of roughly seventy-five percent of all movie theatres in Canada between the years of 1921 and 1950. At the time of the Great Depression,...

The Automotive Building was constructed in 1929 as a venue for the exhibition of new automobiles. This use continued until the 1960s, however, over the years various unsympathetic renovations occurred and after 80 years the building had became outdated and was no longer in demand as an exhibition space. The new project involved rehabilitating the...

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is an important cultural institution both locally for the City of Toronto and internationally as one of Canada’s most important cultural showplaces. The AGO is one of Toronto’s foremost institutions and has a rich historical and architectural background. Since its inception nearly 100 years ago, the Gallery has undergone...

Found Toronto was presented as part of the Building On History exhibit that opened at Harbourfront Centre in January 2009. The intent of the show was to communicate to the public how heritage architects practice. ERA’s installation focused on the historical research process by allowing visitors to literally connect the dots between an historical map,...

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...

With the renewal of many of Toronto’s great cultural institutions, the next phase of great city building effort will focus on the public spaces that surround them. Under the direction of Mayor Miller’s “Vision 2010”, the City of Toronto, as custodian of the public realm, will be taking steps to promote the opportunities presented by...