Queen's Park Picks 2023

Now in its eighth year, the OAA’s Queen’s Park Picks (QP Picks) program asks Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to share their favourite buildings or other structures from their ridings to be showcased as part of an annual celebration of architecture. The Association’s Policy Advisory Coordination Team (PACT) reviews the nominations and selects a shortlist of outstanding projects to mark World Architecture Day, held annually on the first Monday of October.

This year’s theme, chosen by the International Union of Architects (UIA) Council, is "Architecture for Resilient Communities.” Appropriately, numerous QP Picks buildings incorporate elements of enduring durability, climate action, and adaptability as principles. Whether heritage projects or more recent construction, these buildings represent a design philosophy that prioritizes long-term sustainability over short-term gain and recognizes the crucial role of architecture in addressing challenges and place-making within communities.

The OAA and MPPs Celebrate Ontario Architecture with Queen's Park Picks

The OAA celebrates World Architecture Day virtually in 2023 with its reveal of the selections in its annual Queen’s Park Picks (QP Picks) program—a collaboration with Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) across the province who share a passion for our built environment in all its many forms.

2023 Selections

Each year, the selection process is a painstaking deliberation by architects at the Ontario Association of Architects. While we can't feature them all, we do want to recognize these architectural works throughout Ontario and the dedicated MPPs who, each year, take the time to share this part of their communities with all of us.

Brooklin Community Centre and Library

Location: Whitby, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2010
Architect: Perkins+Will Canada Inc.
Nominated by: Lorne Coe, MPP (Whitby)

Eenchokay Birchstick School

Location: Pikangikum First Nation
Date of Completion: 2016
Architect: Number Ten Architectural Group
Nominated by: Sol Mamakwa, MPP (Kiiwetinoong)

Hospice Peterborough

Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2019
Architect: Lett Architects Inc.
Nominated by: Dave Smith, MPP (Peterborough–Kawartha)

Kingston City Hall

Location:Kingston, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1844
Architect: George Browne
Dates of Renovations/Additions: 1865, 1909, 1956, 1960s, 1971, 2001
Architects of Renovations/Additions: Harry P. Smith and Neil MacLennan (1971), Alexander Wilson Architect Inc. (2001)
Nominated by: Ted Hsu, MPP (Kingston and the Islands)

Kirkfield Lift Lock

Location: Kirkfield, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1905
Engineer: Richard Birdsall Rogers
Nominated by: Laurie Scott, MPP (Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock)
Old Strathroy Post Office

Location: Strathroy, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1889-1901
Architect: Thomas Fuller
Designers of Renovations/Additions: In2Space (interior designer)
Nominated by: Monte McNaughton (former MPP for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex)

Prosserman Jewish Community Centre

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2020
Architect: IBI Group (now Arcadis Architects (Canada) Inc.)
Nominated by: Hon. Michael Kerzner, MPP (York Centre)
The PSAC Building

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1968
Architect: Schoeler Heaton Architects Inc.
Nominated by: Joel Harden, MPP (Ottawa Centre)
Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2006
Architect: Architects Alliance with Behnisch Architekten
Nominated by: Jessica Bell, MPP (University–Rosedale)

2023 Queen's Park Picks

Large, curved, metal-clad structure with curtain wall windows adjoining a rectangular metal and glass building.

Image:

Images courtesy of Perkins+Will Canada Inc.

1

The library and community centre’s buildings resemble a series of linked barns.

eft: looking through full height windows into a large, open, running track area. Right: Indoor running track with large, curved metal structure.

Image:

Images courtesy of Perkins+Will Canada

2

Left: Architect’s sketch of configuration of buildings on the site. Right: Views between different wings of the complex.

A person in a wheelchair, others, and children painting art around a table.

Image:

Images courtesy of Perkins+Will Canada Inc.

3

Left: Brooklin Flour Mill. Right: Brooklin Township Hall.

Image:

Images courtesy of Perkins+Will Canada Inc.

4

Interiors showing large windows and use of wood and steel.

Image:

Images courtesy of Perkins+Will Canada Inc.

5

Interior of library

Brooklin Community Centre and Library

Location: Whitby, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2010
Architect: Perkins+Will Canada Inc.
Nominated by: Lorne Coe, MPP (Whitby)

When tasked with designing a new community centre and library for Brooklin, a historic neighbourhood in the Town of Whitby, architects Perkins+Will Canada didn’t have to look far for inspiration. By respecting the immediate environment and drawing on local inspiration, the popular facility provides residents with a quality community space that is both sustainable, functional, and informed by context.

Pedestrian bridge with two polished balls over turbulent river.

Image:

Image courtesy of Number Ten Architectural Group

1

Main entrance with colourful exterior.

Archival black and white photograph showing a wooden footbridge across the river to Rideau Tennis Club.

Image:

Images courtesy of Number Ten Architectural Group.

2

Left: Artist Barry Peters standing next to one of several murals in the school. Right: example of wall graphics applied throughout the interior to denote spaces.

Alt Text: Left: people walking over bridge, with polished ball artwork in foreground. Right: close up of polished metal ball over river reflecting the surrounding landscape.

Image:

Images courtesy of Number Ten Architectural Group.

3

Double-height front lobby.

Eenchokay Birchstick School

Location: Pikangikum First Nation
Date of Completion: 2016
Architect: Number Ten Architectural Group
Nominated by: Sol Mamakwa, MPP (Kiiwetinoong)

After its original school building was destroyed by a fire, the community of Pikangikum set itself to building a new facility—the Eenchokay Birchstick School—that would not only replace what was lost, but also improve the community and proudly represent its values, culture, and traditions.

A two-storey log-clad house with gabled roofs set within a woodsy landscape of mature trees.

Image:

Image courtesy of Lett Architects Inc.

1

View of eastern elevations with gardens in the foreground.

Donkey easels in the foreground of a space with cathedral ceilings and windows in the distance.

Image:

Image courtesy of Lett Architects Inc.

2

Warm interior reminiscent of a living room

Donkey easels arranged in a room. Centre: framed painting of trees hung on a wall. Right: commemorative plaque fixed to rock at the base of a tree.

Image:

Image courtesy of Trent University Library and Archives.

3

Sketch of front elevation of Langton House.

Image:

Image courtesy of Lett Architects Inc.

4

The domestic roofline references the site’s history.

Hospice Peterborough

Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2019
Architect: Lett Architects Inc.
Nominated by: Dave Smith, MPP (Peterborough–Kawartha)

Creating a warm and comfortable space for those affected by life-threatening illness and grief, Hospice Peterborough provides an alternative vision for palliative and end-of-life care that puts autonomy, compassion, and comfort at the forefront.

Read More

Perspective of a brick church with hip roofs and three onion domes projecting out of the top.

Image:

HVEPhoto - stock.adobe.com.

1

Front (southern) elevation with Confederation Park fountain in the foreground.

Wooden church with ground floor arcade, overlapping roofs, and three upward projecting onion domes topped with crosses.

Image:

Image courtesy of Queen’s University Archive.

2

Kingston City Hall and Market Battery as seen in 1857.

Image:

Images courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

3

Left: Original plans showing long market hall. Right: Elevation drawing of southern (front) facade.

Image:

Images courtesy of Alexander Wilson Architect Inc.

4

Left: Renovated municipal offices. Right: Ceiling detail of municipal offices.

Kingston City Hall

Location: Kingston, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1844
Architect: George Browne
Dates of Renovations/Additions: 1865, 1909, 1956, 1960s, 1971, 2001
Architects of Renovations/Additions: Harry P. Smith and Neil MacLennan (1971), Alexander Wilson Architect Inc. (2001)
Nominated by: Ted Hsu, MPP (Kingston and the Islands)

“This building is excellent in its features of design, and substantial in the dimensions of its parts: the lights and shades are beautifully blended, and when viewed from a short distance has a light and elegant appearance.”

Letter from “Leo” to the Anglo-American
December 9, 1843, New York
Reprinted in the Kingston Chronicle and Gazette, December 16, 1843

Built with the ambition and enthusiasm of a nascent capital, Kingston City Hall stands proudly as one of the finest 19th century buildings in Canada and an ongoing space for community and governance in this Great Lakes city.

Wide, two-storey building with leaning wooden posts and a central entrance with a hand-drum inspired shape.

Image:

Image courtesy of The Cosmonaut, via Wikimedia.

1

Exterior view of lift lock.

Left: side perspective of building showing drum shape of atrium and facade. Right: leaning logs support shading fins attached to the facade.

Image:

Map courtesy of Parks Canada

2

Map of the Trent—Severn waterway.

Looking up at a steel and wood structure with red, yellow, white, and black painted patterns indicated cardinal directions.

Image:

Image courtesy of Parks Canada.

3

Section drawing of lift lock, cutting through well.

Kirkfield Lift Lock

Location: Kirkfield, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1905
Engineer: Richard Birdsall Rogers
Nominated by: Laurie Scott, MPP (Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock)

A machine as big as an industrial building, capable of lifting a boat 15 metres up, the Kirkfield Lift Lock is an extraordinary achievement of human ingenuity and an important part of Ontario’s built heritage.

Perspective of a building with angular oxidized steel facade and curtain wall windows.

Image:

Image by Kurtis Chen.

1

Renovated exterior of the Clock Tower Inn.

Looking towards the stage of a theatre with multi-level seating arranged in a semi-circular pattern.

Image:

Left: Image by Valentine & Sons, courtesy of Toronto Public Library. Middle: Smith Falls Post Office, 1927. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada. Right: Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

2

Left: Strathroy Post Office, 1910. Right: Galt Post Office, 1910.

Left: a perspective of a building showing angular steel facade projection and large curtain wall windows. Right: closer perspective of angular steel facade with variations in texture.

Image:

Images by Kurtis Chen

3

Left: Archway over portico inscribed with “Post Office.” Right: Exterior ornamental light fixture.

Old Strathroy Post Office

Location: Strathroy, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1889-1901
Architect: Thomas Fuller
Designers of Renovations/Additions: In2Space (interior designer)
Nominated by: Monte McNaughton (former MPP for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex)

A former post office, now-turned-restaurant and inn, Strathroy’s Old Post Office and Custom House is not only a much-beloved local landmark, but also an important part of Canadian architectural history.

A grand limestone building with large doric columns and classical decorative elements.

Image:

Image courtesy of Arcadis Architects (Canada) Inc.

1

Front (east) elevation.

A large interior space with a tall arched ceiling and a large clock in the middle.

Image:

Left: Interior of the Leah Posluns Theatre. Right: Indoor swimming pool. Images courtesy of Arcadis Architects (Canada) Inc.

2

South elevation with contextual brick buildings.

Black and white aerial perspective drawing of train station amongst closely packed buildings and a harbour in the background.

Image:

Image courtesy of Arcadis Architects (Canada) Inc.

3

Exterior seating area with centre in background.

Prosserman Jewish Community Centre

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2020
Architect: IBI Group (now Arcadis Architects (Canada) Inc.)
Nominated by: Hon. Michael Kerzner, MPP (York Centre)

Reinvigorating a site that has long been at the centre of Toronto’s Jewish life, the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre and expansive Sherman Campus create spaces for fun, culture, and enjoyment within a spectacular natural setting.

Read More

A symmetrical white-painted stone building with arched windows, a large door in the middle, and two gable roofs on either side.

Image:

Image by Joël León Danis

1

South elevation with contextual brick buildings.

Left: aerial perspective of a large jail building with three courtyards enclosed by walls and barbed wire. Right: interior photograph of inmate cells with gates open.

Image:

Drawing courtesy of RMA+SH

2

Elliptical plan of the PSAC Building.

Left: A long stone building lines a street in front of a field. The building has two low masses lined with iconic colonnades on either side of a taller square mass and attached portico. Right: A postcard shows a black and white image of a narrow façade with a round portico against the painted surroundings of rushing water on the left and green grass in front of the building.

Image:

Image courtesy of RMA+SH

3

Left: Exterior egg-and-dart motif and spherical light fixture. Image by Joël León Danis. Right: Intricate carved doors by James Henderson Boyd.

The PSAC Building

Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Date of Completion: 1968
Architect: Schoeler & Heaton Architects Inc.
Nominated by: Joel Harden, MPP (Ottawa Centre)

“I think the trend of architectural expression is to design and build according to the personality of the client… An example of this can be found in Ottawa in the new Headquarters for the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The appearance of the building reflects the growth and forward movement of PSAC.”
The Right Honourable Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Prime Minister (1968-1984)

Modern yet familiar, Ottawa’s Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Building forms part of a unique period in our nation’s history when we searched for a distinctly Canadian architectural identity that could both remember where it came from and aspire toward a better future.

A stone building with hip roofs, dormers, and a tall clock tower amongst trees and neighbouring houses.

Image:

Image courtesy of Architects Alliance.

1

West facade of the TDCCBR.

Left: historic black and white photograph of a symmetrical building with large arched windows and a central clock tower. Right: historic black and white perspective photo of Victoria Hall on city street with surrounding brick buildings, sidewalk, and road.

Image:

Image courtesy of Architects Alliance.

2

Front (southern) facade and forecourt.

Image:

Image courtesy of Architects Alliance

3

Light-filled laboratory and working space

Image:

Image courtesy of Architects Alliance.

4

Double-height interior garden space.

5

Plan of ground floor showing relationship to exterior landscape.

Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Completion: 2006
Architect: Architects Alliance with Behnisch Architekten
Nominated by: Jessica Bell, MPP (University–Rosedale)

Unlocking the advanced science of genomics requires flexible, technically advanced spaces that can host a diverse range of people and activities. Envisioned as both an instrument for science and a space for collaboration, the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (TDCCBR), part of the University of Toronto, is a leading example that cutting-edge science is as much about the human experience as it is about technology.

These projects form our Queen’s Park Picks 2023 series. We hope you enjoyed learning more about them. Check out last year's series here or the full series on the blOAAg, or view the map below to learn more about great buildings across the province!

Queen's Park Picks - Past and Present

Spanning eight years, the Queen’s Park Picks represent most regions in Ontario. The architecture is varied, ranging across multiple eras and styles of architecture. Some of the QP Picks were nominated because they were an MPP’s favourite building, some were important community or cultural landmarks, and some may simply have been a built space your local MPP wanted to know more about. Put together, they create a growing database of compelling examples of our province’s built environment.

You can click on them to learn more about the project, or expand the map by selecting the top right corner to get even more background. The 2023 selections are featured in orange.