TORONTO — Heritage Toronto has named Michael McClelland as the recipient of the 2025 Special Achievement Award.
Presented for the first time since 2019 by the Heritage Toronto Board of Directors, the award celebrates exceptional contributions by individuals or organizations to Toronto’s heritage, explains a release.
McClelland has been a strong voice in shaping Toronto’s built heritage, focusing on cultural landscapes that reflect layered histories and community identities.
His work includes major projects such as the restoration of the Don Jail and the Broadview Hotel, as well as the revitalization of the Distillery District.
He began his career as a heritage planner for the Toronto Historical Board and went on to co-found ERA Architects in 1990.
Over the years he has championed major cultural initiatives, including Culture on Toronto’s Waterfront, which highlights the role of heritage and culture in revitalizing the city’s waterfront; the Tower Renewal Partnership, a collaborative effort to retrofit Toronto’s postwar apartment towers; and Friends of Allan Gardens, a community-led initiative to restore one of Toronto’s oldest public greenhouses, the release adds.
“For more than 30 years, Michael has helped grow our understanding of the intricate connection between heritage and culture, and has furthered discourse on heritage’s role in inclusive, sustainable urban development,” said Liza Chalaidopoulos, chair of the Heritage Toronto Board, in a statement. “He is an active and generous mentor in the field, shaping a generation of professionals through collaboration, critical thinking, and advocacy for more democratic visions of heritage.”
As a writer and editor, he has also helped shift the narrative around Toronto’s urban past. His editorial contributions include Concrete Toronto: A Guidebook to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies (2007), and The Ward Uncovered: The Archaeology of Everyday Life (2018), which spotlight overlooked histories.
“Heritage is simply another word for how we value our relationships to ourselves and our environments,” said McClelland. “It’s the job of architects to express those values through time by renewing and building new spaces.”
