The winners of the 50th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards were presented on Monday, October 20, 2025 at the Carlu event venue. Spacing has been the media sponsor of this event for 10 years and sells all of the book award nominees.
Five winners were named from 60 nominees in three categories: Book, Public History, and Built Heritage. Each category was independently judged by a jury of experts. In addition, a People’s Choice Award was announced, selected by Heritage Toronto supporters and event attendees from among the Public History nominees.
The Book Award
sponsored by Ridley Windows & Doors Inc.
He Hijacked My Brain: Gary Topp’s Toronto, a dynamic blend of memoir and oral and visual storytelling on the life and work of the concert promoter and film curator who helped shape a transformative era in the city’s cultural history.
Authors: Derek Emerson, Stephen Perry, Fran Grasso, Shawn Chirrey, Simon Harvey, and Gary Topp
Publisher: UXB Press
The Public History Award
sponsored by Clifford Restoration Limited
Let’s Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown, a community project which brought together over 300 Chinatown residents across four generations to explore how shared memory and imagination can safeguard the area’s heritage and build community-led stewardship practices.
Project Lead: Linda Zhang
Organizations: University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Cecil Community Centre, Planting Imagination
The People’s Choice Award
sponsored by Woodcliffe Landmark Properties
Doris McCarthy: New Light, an exhibition which highlighted the renowned Scarborough artist’s process, her impact on landscape painting, and her experiments with style.
Project Lead: Carly Wolowich
Organization: Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto Scarborough
Built Heritage Awards
The Adaptive Reuse Award
sponsored by HRI Group, recognizes projects that meet current needs while maintaining the integrity of the original design vision, and went to:
The FitzGerald Building University of Toronto, for the transformation of a 1927 Georgian Revival-style building, formerly a public health laboratory and research facility that produced insulin until 1969, into an open and interconnected administrative hub.
Property Owner: University of Toronto
Architects: RDH Architects, Office of Metropolitan Architecture, ERA Architects
Contractor: Buttcon Limited
The Heritage Planning & Architecture Award
sponsored by LiUNA Local 183, recognizes the successful application of appropriate conservation and planning principles, and went to:
2 Queen Street West, for the restoration of an 1896 Renaissance Revival-style building, whose accentuation of its historically significant curved-facade revitalized one of Toronto’s few remaining 19th-century commercial structures for contemporary use.
Property Owner: Cadillac Fairview
Architects: Zeidler Architecture Inc., ERA Architects
Heritage Craftsperson/Consultant: Clifford Restoration Limited
The Crafts and Trades Award
sponsored by OPCMIA Local 598, recognizes the use of construction techniques and materials that are compatible to the building’s original architectural qualities, and went to:
Deer Park Church, for the conversion of this 1912 heritage building into a restaurant, event space, and courtyard, with extensive conservation of its stone, terra cotta, stained glass, and historic features.
Property Owner: The Imperial
Developer: Camrost-Felcorp
Architects: Diamond Schmitt, ERA Architects
Heritage Consultant: HRI Group
Special Achievement Award
At the ceremony, the Heritage Toronto Board presented the Special Achievement Award to Michael McClelland for his 30-plus years of work growing our understanding of the intricate connection between heritage and culture and furthering discourse on heritage’s role in inclusive, sustainable urban development. They also presented the Volunteer Service Award to Kathy Grant for her extraordinary work amplifying Black Canadian history and for her support of the organization’s public programs.
For more information on all of the winners, see 2025 Heritage Toronto Award Winners.
