A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE: ACO’S THIRD ANNUAL AWARDS PRESENTATION
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| Stephen Otto receives the Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award from George Rust-D'Eye, of WeirFoulds, Presenting Sponsor, and Lloyd Alter, President of the ACO. |
10 Awards Presented at Annual Gala November 6th
November 8, 2009
The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario met at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto on Friday, November 6 for a celebration of excellence, its third annual awards presentation. The event’s Host Sponsor was Woodcliffe Corporation, represented by its President, Paul Oberman. The Presenting Sponsor was WeirFoulds LLP, represented by George Rust-D’Eye. This year ten awards were presented in five categories.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals or groups who have made an outstanding contribution to the heritage conservation movement in Ontario over a sustained period of time. This year’s winner was Stephen Otto, long-time advocate for the preservation and promotion of built heritage in Toronto and Ontario. Mr. Otto helped to develop heritage conservation programs at the Ministry of Culture and Recreation and, as a consulting historian, has helped to ensure that Toronto’s historic places are understood and protected. A former director of the Ontario Heritage Foundation and founding chair of the Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common, he has written several publications and is currently preparing a book on Ontario heritage buildings. The state of the Province’s architectural heritage today would not be the same without the significant activities of this nominee.
The A. K. (Alice King) Sculthorpe Award for Advocacy recognizes an individual, an informal group or an established non-profit organization which at a critical point achieved exemplary success in solving a significant heritage crisis. The people involved have demonstrated leadership in the field, integrity and the ability to be inclusive and communicate the value of heritage conservation to others. Those recognized this year included:
i) Award to PROUD & St Catherines ACO Branch for their work to preserve the significant 19th century canal village and heritage locks at Port Dalhousie through the creation of a heritage conservation district. A hard fought battle at the OMB has been unable to stop the proposed development of an 18 storey tower on the site, bringing into question the strength of Ontario’s heritage legislation.
ii) Award of Merit to Citizens for the Protection and Preservation of the Pioneer Cemetery, Peterborough for researching and saving an original pioneer burial ground in a preeminent Peterborough open civic space and influencing the Ministry of Culture to develop a best practices protocol for future similar situations.
iii) Award of Merit to Kayla Jonas, Paul Dubniak, Martha Fallis and Lindsay Benjamin, junior staff of the Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo, for their work nominating heritage sites to the National Register and other projects such as the study of 32 Heritage Conservation Districts. As volunteer advocates of heritage, they have delivered talks and lectures on the results of their work to dozens of councils, community groups and training sessions.
For the first time, the A.K. Sculthorpe Awards included two awards for Youth Advocacy. These went to Gabrielle Kirkwood, a Grade 11 student and member of ACO Clarington Branch, for her petition to save Camp 30, the WWII prisoner of war camp in Bowmanville and to Ellen Molloy, a 12-year-old member of ACO Simcoe Branch, who unfortunately could not be present because of the flu, for her website promoting heritage awareness and her petition at the local Loblaws store against demolition of a local farmhouse. These two awards were presented by Clark Morawetz - ACO’s youngest president of ACO’s newest Branch, Clarington.
The Peter Stokes Restoration Award recognizes those responsible for the exemplary restoration of significant heritage structures, undertaken in accordance with the accepted policies and practices of heritage conservation in Ontario. This year’s award went to Artscape – Ward 21 Councillor Joe Mihevc (on behalf of City of Toronto) / Joe Lobko (architect) at du Toit Architects Ltd. / ERA (consulting heritage architects) – for Wychwood Barns, Toronto for the preservation and adaptive reuse of five early 20th century streetcar barns. This LEED gold project, partnering heritage and sustainability, also demonstrates the successful rejuvenation of a local landmark through a creative infusion of arts and culture.
The Margaret and Nicholas Hill Cultural Heritage Landscape Award recognizes individuals or groups and their projects that have led to a heightened level of awareness and appreciation of Ontario’s significant landscapes. It went to Dr. Robert Shipley, Director of Heritage Resources at the University of Waterloo, for his many research projects relating to built heritage, cultural heritage landscapes and designated heritage districts. Dr. Shipley, in his roles as a teacher, researcher, writer, and consultant, has influenced students, heritage planners, heritage activist, ordinary citizens, and government officials at all levels.
The ACO Award for Special Contributions recognizes ACO members who have made a significant contribution to forwarding the goals of the provincial organization. This year Julia Beck, past president of ACO and London ACO branch, was honoured. She has co-authored several books and publications and organized heritage house tours. She has played a significant role in the preservation of built heritage in Ontario.
Type of News Item: News
