Honouring people making extraordinary contributions to protect and celebrate Ontario’s heritage

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Congratulations to the 2024 Heritage Awards recipients!

ACO Public Education and Engagement Award – Sarah Morris [Windsor]

A.K. Sculthorpe Award for Advocacy – Brian Skerrett [Guelph]

ACO NextGen Award – Eli Aaron [Toronto]

Margaret and Nicholas Hill Cultural Heritage Landscape Award – Friends of Allan Gardens [Toronto]

James D. Strachan Award for Craft – Patrick Moore [Ottawa]

Stephen A. Otto Award for Research and Documentation – Adam Bunch [Toronto]

Stephen A. Otto Award for Research and Documentation – Marie Voisin, Ernie Ritz and Kristen Hahn, “The Historic Buildings of New Hamburg and the People Who Lived In Them”

Carlos Ventin Award for Municipal Heritage Leadership – Tamara Anson-Cartwright [Toronto]

Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse: Large-Scale – St. Mark’s Place [Kitchener]

Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse: Small-Scale – John Muir Branch, Windsor Public Library

Peter Stokes Restoration Award: Large-Scale – Wychwood Neighbourhood Branch Library Restoration and Addition [Toronto]

Peter Stokes Restoration Award: Small-Scale – Marine Heritage Society [Southampton]

ACO Special Jury Award – Linda and Jack Hutton, Bala’s Museum “With Memories of L.M. Montgomery”

ACO Special Jury Award – K-W Urban Native Wigwam Project and Warrior Home 2023 Student Design Team

Mary Millard Award for Special Contributions to ACO – Marilyn ‘Duffy’ Davidson

Eric Arthur Lifetime Achievement Award – Mary-Jean Page

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The ACO Heritage Awards honour conservation leaders, projects and initiatives that are worthy of provincial recognition for their contribution to architectural conservation in Ontario. Presenting awards both for people and for projects, the scope of the program includes recognition for architects and designers, but also craftspeople, scholars, advocates, community organizers and others.

The awards gala event is typically held in October, at a historic venue in Toronto; past venues include Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, The Assembly Hall, The 1871 Berkeley Church, and Junction Craft Brewing (a repurposed 1930s garbage incinerator).

Celebrating the 2024 Heritage Awards at the Arta Gallery in Toronto’s historic Distillery District (right: Marine Heritage Society (MHS) in Southampton, recipients of the Peter Stokes Restoration Award, (L-R) Wayne Kaufman, Chair of the MHS; Deb Kaufman, MHS Director; Vicki Tomori, MHS Director; 2024 Heritage Awards host and host of CBC News Toronto Kelda Yuen

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Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO)

The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario is the province’s principal non-government volunteer organization dedicated to the conservation of built heritage.  Founded in 1933, we remain committed to protecting our rich built and landscape heritage for future generations to enjoy.

ACO’s mandate is “through education and advocacy, to encourage the conservation and re-use of structures, districts and landscapes of architectural, historic and cultural significance, to inspire and benefit Ontarians.” Over its 87-year history, ACO has helped save hundreds of buildings in communities across Ontario, and raised awareness of the benefits of preserving our community heritage. In addition to the historic value of older buildings, we promote the social, cultural, economic, and environmental benefits of preservation versus demolition.

ACO carries out its mandate in a number of ways. The first is education: we promote public awareness of heritage through the publication of our biannual journal, Acorn, and through educational activities such as lectures and symposia. ACO is also a partner in the annual Ontario Heritage Conference, and hosts a special Heritage Day at The Ontario Legislature every February during Heritage Week.

ACO is committed to supporting individuals and communities in their efforts to preserve heritage buildings and sites. Our PreservationWorks! program offers preservation advice to heritage property owners. We also occasionally acquire at-risk heritage properties to restore and operate.

Through ACO’s NextGen group, we offer a job shadow program for students and emerging professionals to help them make connections with established heritage professionals. Our annual Design Charrette brings young professionals together to solve design challenges with the help of professionals who volunteer their time to lead sessions.

Our primary community celebration, the ACO Heritage Awards, takes place every autumn. These awards honour and celebrate people who have made significant achievements in heritage preservation in the previous year. They recognize the accomplishments of individuals and groups who have preserved community heritage, whether through advocacy, restoration, adaptive reuse, landscape heritage, research, or craftsmanship.

ACO’s activities are carried out through our head office located in Toronto and branches located across Southern Ontario. ACO is registered as a charitable organization under the Income Tax Act, and we depend on charitable donations to run our programs. Donations can be made on our website, www.acontario.ca.