Rollo Myers, Cabbagetown group lauded for heritage work

Eric Morse —

For his contributions to almost every important project and concept in Toronto over the past thirty years, visionary heritage architect Rollo Myers was awarded Heritage Toronto’s Special Achievement Award at the organization’s 2013 awards ceremony at Koerner Hall on Oct. 15.

In his acceptance speech, Myers told the house, “I’m glad they didn’t call it a Lifetime Achievement Award, because that always somehow sounds like it’s time for you to move on out.”

In his introduction, Cabbagetown historian George Rust D’Eye commented: “Rollo supports those who support heritage—and this was back when we had a mayor who supported heritage.” (The current mayor was not present for the ceremony).

He began his involvement in Vancouver, by designing a 3D rendering system that allowed stakeholders and planners to envisage the impact of a proposed project on its environment. Since arriving in Toronto in 1970, he has been a great connector of people and a persistent advocate for the city’s heritage.

Myers’ persistence over 15 years finally led people to pay attention to the site of Ontario’s first purpose-built Parliament buildings at the southeast corner of Berkeley and Front Streets.

Without Myers, the present interpretive centre likely would not have seen the light of day nor would that area have a long-term plan for its use. He helped bring the land between Parliament and Berkeley streets into public hands and, using his mapping know-how, created 200 years’ worth of overlays to position the site on Toronto’s modern street grid.

Contrary to others’ opinions, Myers argued that the building’s archaeological remains may exist in spite of intense development. His efforts helped get the site designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and helped secure funding for a test dig that did indeed find the building’s remains. The discovery took Toronto by surprise; without Myers, the site may have continued to go unnoticed and uncelebrated.

He was one of the people who founded Citizens for the Old Town, which rebranded the original 10 blocks of the Town of York and environs. Helping keep this stretch of history intact means close to a million Torontonians and visitors can enjoy Toronto’s earliest neighbourhood, from world-renowned St. Lawrence Market to St. James Cathedral to Corktown and the Distillery District.

In Cabbagetown he renovated four previously run-down Cabbagetown homes and helped get the area designated as a series of Heritage Conservation Districts. His effort there means Torontonians and visitors get to enjoy one of the largest areas of continuous preserved Victorian housing in North America. For many years he and his wife Linda resided in the locally-beloved home on Sumach St. known as the Witch’s House (and it once was lived in by a real Old Witch, says Rust D’Eye).

He was a key mover in forming the West Don Lands Committee, and helped found the Friends of Fort York. In the process producing 3D models that showed how proposed development would block key sightlines, which led to a major planning review and an alternate layout of roads and development.

His council appointment to the Toronto Historical Board saw him reviewing development proposals for heritage properties and later serving on community working groups for Old Town development projects with heritage aspects such as North St. Lawrence Market, MOZO, King George Square, King’s Court, Spire, The Berczy and others.

Myers served six years as the Heritage Canada Foundation’s Governor for Ontario, and for the past nine years has been Manager of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and its 24 branches.

Other Downtown award winners include the Media Category Award of Merit which went to TXTilecity for a website, mobile app, and documentaries created for the Textile Museum of Canada by a team led by producer Shauna McCabe.

Launched by the Textile Museum of Canada in 2012, this website and free mobile app platform presents the significance of textiles in shaping the city’s social, cultural, economic and architectural heritage. At the heart of each of the 67 entries are many original stories, presented through audio and video recordings, which are often told by those involved.  Content has also been adapted to make it widely accessible through [murmur], and through a program of walking tours supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Cabbagetown Preservation Association won an award in the Community Heritage category for its Cabbagetown People Program, which has documented the lives of more than forty influential Canadians who once called Cabbagetown home. That research has been developed into a comprehensive series of plaques that recognize each individual at the site of their former residence, as well as walking tours, teacher and student resources integrated into the curriculum (and also produced in French), and a promotional DVD. The CPA also won the Members’ Choice award in the category.

Three Downtown sites were winners in the William Greer Architectural Conservation and Craftsmanship Award category: Maole Leaf Gardens (Award of Excellence) while the Dineen Building at Yonge and Temperance streets and St Michael’s Cathedral tower restoration received honourable mentions.