Marian Bradshaw Lecture: Modern Heritage with Michael McClelland

Canadian Society of Decorative Arts

This presentation by Michael McClelland considers contrasting visions of modernism in Toronto’s postwar architecture.

Tartu College Event Space

Exploring contrasting visions of modernism in Toronto’s postwar architecture, this presentation considers how architectural expression, material culture, and cultural value intersect in the city’s evolving heritage landscape. Using case studies like Mies van der Rohe’s TD Centre and Uno Prii’s sculptural apartment buildings, the presentation examines how differing approaches to modern design and their cultural associations have shaped what is celebrated, conserved, or overlooked in the city’s architectural legacy. Building on themes introduced in Concrete Toronto, it reflects on how both widely recognized and unconventional modernist works contribute to Toronto’s identity — and why some remain on the margins of preservation discourse.A registered architect and founding Principal of ERA Architects, Michael McClelland OAA, AAA, AIBC, NSAA, OAQ, FRAIC, CAHP, has specialized in heritage conservation, heritage planning, and urban design for over 30 years. Having begun his career in municipal government, most notably for the Toronto Historical Board, Michael continues to work with a wide range of public and private stakeholders to build culture through thoughtful, values-based heritage planning and design.Michael is a frequent contributor to the discourse surrounding architecture and landscape in Canada, and has edited a number of books on urban conservation including East/West: A Guide to Where People Live in Downtown Toronto; Concrete Toronto — A Guidebook to Concrete Architecture From the Fifties to the Seventies; The Ward: the Life and Loss of Toronto’s First Immigrant Neighbourhood, and The Ward Uncovered: the Archaeology of Everyday Life. This lecture is sponsored by Hariri Pontarini Architects. The lecture will take place at Tartu College Event Space, located at 3 Madison Avenue in Toronto. The entrance is located on Madison Avenue, off Bloor Street.Attendees can arrive from 8:30AM onward. We will be set up in the lobby area. Coffee, tea, and pastries will be made available. Opening remarks will begin at 9:15AM ET. The Marian Bradshaw lecture will start at 9:30AM ET. Image credits:1) Cover of East/West: A Guide to Where People Live in Downtown Toronto; headshot of Michael McClelland (<a href="https://www.eraarch.ca/" title="https://www.eraarch.ca/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.eraarch.ca/</a>); cover of Concrete Toronto — A Guidebook to Concrete Architecture From the Fifties to the Seventies.2) Toronto-Dominion Centre (1963-69) Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with John B. Parkin Associates and Bregman &amp; Hamann. Photo by Vik Pahwa. https://torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/buildings/toronto-dominion-centre/3) 100 Spadina Road, Uno Prii. https://www.eraarch.ca/projects/100-spadina-road/

Marian Bradshaw Lecture: Modern Heritage with Michael McClelland

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Marian Bradshaw Lecture: Modern Heritage with Michael McClelland

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