University of Toronto: Landscape of Landmark Quality

At the heart of the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus, King’s College Circle has long been a defining open space, a ceremonial landscape and a daily crossroads for generations of students. Originally conceived in the mid-19th century as a picturesque foreground to University College, the Circle has evolved with the university and planning ideals of successive eras. The 1920s extension of King’s College Road, shaped by Beaux-Arts planning principles, further established the site’s formal symmetry and enduring visual connection to University College.

The Landmark Project, completed in 2024, reimagines this historic setting for the next century of campus life. A coordinated series of landscape transformations removed vehicles from the Circle, restored it as a pedestrian-focused green space, and created new opportunities for gathering, reflection, and movement through the campus core. Below the renewed lawn, a new underground parking structure integrates essential infrastructure discreetly within the historic urban landscape.

ERA served as heritage consultant to KPMB Architects, preparing a Heritage Impact Assessment that addressed the landscape upgrades, above-grade evidence of the new parking structure, and potential impacts to adjacent built heritage resources. Through detailed research, policy review aligned with the University’s secondary plan update, and analysis of historical form and circulation, ERA’s assessment contributed to a design that honours the site’s origins while embracing its evolving role.

The Landmark Project has been recognized for its ambitious scope and sensitive design approach, demonstrating how landscape architecture can enrich the experience of a complex historic urban landscape. The revitalized campus core has set a new precedent for landscape renewal in Toronto by offering a quieter, safer, and more welcoming environment for both campus users and wildlife.