TORONTO – Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) recently celebrated its 19th annual heritage awards with a vast array of winners, from individuals to unique projects that are preserving history while celebrating design.
Over the course of the awards ceremony, numerous achievements in heritage conservation were honoured from six communities across the province.
Here is a list of the winners, along with a brief description:
Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse: Large-Scale/Team/Corporate
The Royal Hotel [Picton]
Over a decade, Giannone Petricone Associates (GPA) worked to revive and transform the dilapidated 1881 Victorian railway hotel in Picton. In collaboration with heritage specialists ERA Architects, the firm successfully breathed new life into the structure. When the project started, the 31,000-square-foot building was in a state of ruin: staircases were waterlogged, floors were lined with thick green moss and just as construction was to begin, the roof caved in, the ACO describes. Within the building’s three salvageable brick walls the team established a new 28-room hotel with a cafe, three bars, a fine-dining restaurant, a spa, gym, and outdoor porch and garden.
Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse: Small-Scale/Individual/Small Business
79-81 Murray St. [Amherstburg]
This project was a complex restoration, conservation and alteration of an existing building at 79-81 Murray Street, built in 1883 in the original historic downtown core of Amherstburg. The building originally existed as a Milliner’s shop and underwent a number of uses and alterations in the 125-plus years of its lifespan. The design team for this project was Windsor architecture firm, Mean Studio, who worked closely with owner and developer, Adam Rossetto and the general contractor, RTP Construction. The project was fully completed in 2024 and today hosts two businesses on the ground floor, Bucket List Coffee Roastery and Beauty & Co. By Bretton, a residential unit on the second floor, and an outdoor patio space.
Peter Stokes Restoration Award: Large-Scale/Team/Corporate
Allan Gardens Palm House [Toronto]
First opened in 1910 and designed by city architect Robert McCallum, the Allan Gardens Palm House is believed to be one of the last remaining Edwardian-era greenhouses in Canada. With its domed silhouette of detailed steelwork and expansive glazing, it has long been a cherished icon. The restoration reflects the City of Toronto’s commitment to heritage preservation and the revitalization of public space.
Peter Stokes Restoration Award: Small-Scale/Individual/Small Business
Sundial Folly [Toronto]
The Sundial Folly is a public art sculpture in Toronto’s Harbour Square Park, installed in 1995. Designed to evolve over time, the sculpture interacts with weather and natural elements, creating a living artwork. The restoration project faced significant challenges. Structural cracking in the precast concrete sphere’s support required a fast-setting, colour-matched repair mortar with corrosion inhibitors to maintain both strength and appearance. Preserving the weathered look of the steel while ensuring durability called for specialized Cor-ten weathering steel.
ACO Special Jury Award
St. Lawrence Market North Archaeological Remains Salvage [Toronto]
The St. Lawrence Market North Redevelopment is an example of urban revitalization that fully integrates archeological preservation into a major civic infrastructure project, the ACO notes. Excavation of the site revealed historic drain structures and brick and stone elements. Since budget and time constraints prevented piece-by-piece mapping, the team implemented a pragmatic yet detailed recording approach: high-resolution photography, measured surveys, condition reports and strategic mortar sampling were used to capture data for future reconstruction. Beyond preservation, the project also reimagined how archaeological remnants can be reintroduced into the public realm. The new design integrates the salvaged materials as a display feature within the market.
Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award
Susan Ratcliffe
Over the past 18 years with the ACO Ratcliffe has been: founding president, ACO Guelph Wellington (2006-2024); president, provincial ACO (2011-2013); chair, ACO Awards Committee (2010-2015); creator (2015-2016), ACO Heritage Real Estate Course; chair of the Acorn Editorial Board for 19 years; and member of the Editorial Committee for 80 for 80: Celebrating Eighty Years of Architectural Conservancy Ontario.
During Ratcliffe’s presidency, ACO collaborated with Prof. Robert Shipley’s University of Waterloo Heritage Resource Centre in a study that proved people who live in Heritage Conservation Districts are highly appreciative of them.
Mary Millard Award for Special Contributions to ACO
Eben Rawluk
Rawluk volunteered his talents to make ACO more sustainable. According to the ACO, he developed a computer model of ACO’s financial options, enabling the organization to examine the strategic options for its future financial sustainability. For six years as ACO treasurer, his leadership normalized not-for-profit governance best practices such as standards for review of external auditor performance; budget analysis and review; regular FAC records, policy review and work plans. He also played an integral role in developing ACO’s complete Strategic Plan 2024-2029.
ACO Public Education and Engagement Award
Amherstburg Freedom Museum
The Amherstburg Freedom Museum has stood for 50 years. Founded in 1975 by descendants of African Canadians, the institution honors the legacy of freedom seekers who found refuge and built new lives in the Amherstburg area, which was known as a critical terminus of the Underground Railroad and across Canada. The museum encompasses the spirit of heritage preserved through the Nazrey A.M.E. Church, a National Historic Site, and the Taylor Log Cabin.
A.K. Sculthorpe Award for Advocacy
Edith George
For 15 years, George researched the historic property of Rivermede in Toronto, tracing land registries, archives, libraries and interviewing family members who owned the house. Due to her efforts, the City of Toronto designated the house in 2020. George’s advocacy has been documented via local and national newspapers. She spent two years as director at large for the Weston Historical Society, 10 years as an adviser to the Ontario Urban Forest Council and is a recipient of the King Charles Coronation medal for her advocacy and dedication for the preservation of history.
ACO NextGen Award
Harrison Cole
Cole is an advocate for heritage conservation in the City of St. Thomas. A long-time member and current chair of the St. Thomas Municipal Heritage Committee, he plays a key role in promoting heritage awareness and stewardship at the local level. Harrison has personally restored two historic buildings on Talbot Street as well as his own home on Rosebery Place.
James D. Strachan Award for Craft
Jean-Francois Furieri
The late architectural master craftsman, Furieri was a third-generation plasterer whose experience spanned over 45 years. He was the lead craftsman, president and founder of Iconoplast. His company was the only one to bid on the then-Pantages Theatre project, the ACO states. Work on Osgoode Hall was another of his contributions, as was his craft in helping to restore Massey Hall. In Montreal, he created the lobby of the Cinéma égyptien and in Toronto the Yale Simpson lounge at the Royal Alex Theatre. The Empire Theatre and the Selwyn Theatre in New York also bear his mark. Ottawa too: West Block, the Prime Minister’s Office. Jean-Francois was also featured on television programs such as This Old House and the Antiques Roadshow.
Stephen A. Otto Award for Research and Documentation
Dave LeBlanc
For over 20 years, LeBlanc has driven across the province taking photos, interviewing building owners, restoration specialists, architects and designers, telling the stories of buildings from mills to mansions, utopic townscapes to industrial sites. As the Globe and Mail’s Architourist, he has been the source of information on architecture.
Carlos Ventin Award for Municipal Heritage Leadership
City of Richmond Hill Council
Richmond Hill City Council has demonstrated a commitment to the rehabilitation and conservation of the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO). Established in 1935 by the University of Toronto, the DDO is a 40-hectare site that includes an observatory and administration building. When it was sold to a developer in 2008, residents and astronomy advocates feared the observatory would be destroyed and the property converted to housing. However, after an Ontario Municipal Board hearing and negotiations between resident groups, the city and other parties, a large portion of the lands were given to the city in 2017. The city is transforming the DDO into a destination park, which over the years has been a challenge to restore the buildings to public use. Today, the DDO is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and as a National Historic Site for its contributions to astronomical research.
To learn more about all the winners visit acoheritageawards.ca
