TORONTO \u2014 Heritage Toronto has named Michael McClelland as the recipient of the 2025 Special Achievement Award.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s heritage, explains a release.<\/p>\n McClelland has been a strong voice in shaping Toronto\u2019s built heritage, focusing on cultural landscapes that reflect layered histories and community identities.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n He began his career as a heritage planner for the Toronto Historical Board and went on to co-found ERA Architects<\/a> in 1990.<\/p>\n Over the years he has championed major cultural initiatives, including Culture on Toronto\u2019s Waterfront<\/a>, which highlights the role of heritage and culture in revitalizing the city\u2019s waterfront; the Tower Renewal Partnership<\/a>, a collaborative effort to retrofit Toronto\u2019s postwar apartment towers; and Friends of Allan Gardens<\/a>, a community-led initiative to restore one of Toronto\u2019s oldest public greenhouses, the release adds.<\/p>\n \u201cFor more than 30 years, Michael has helped grow our understanding of the intricate connection between heritage and culture, and has furthered discourse on heritage\u2019s role in inclusive, sustainable urban development,\u201d said Liza Chalaidopoulos, chair of the Heritage Toronto Board, in a statement. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n As a writer and editor, he has also helped shift the narrative around Toronto\u2019s urban past. His editorial contributions include Concrete Toronto: A Guidebook to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies<\/a> (2007), and The Ward Uncovered: The Archaeology of Everyday Life<\/a> (2018), which spotlight overlooked histories.<\/p>\n \u201cHeritage is simply another word for how we value our relationships to ourselves and our environments,\u201d said McClelland. \u201cIt\u2019s the job of architects to express those values through time by renewing and building new spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Micahel-M-IMG_7277headshot.png\")