At the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June, the Association honoured its newest Members of Long Standing—individuals who have reached the milestone of 50 years of membership with the OAA as part of Ontario’s architecture profession. Among the recipients this year was Phillip H. Carter.

Left to right: Phillip H. Carter and Scarborough Civic Centre Library

Carter graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1964 and from the University of Pennsylvania two years later with master’s degrees in architecture and city planning. He joined Parkin Architects and Allward & Gouinlock Architects before establishing his own firm in 1972, which would become Phillip H. Carter Architect. While he completed numerous residential projects, his practice was best known for libraries, such as the Markham Community Library and Village Green, which won the Governor General’s Medal. Other memorable projects include Wychwood Library, Lillian H. Smith Library, Barbara Frum Library, and Malvern Library. 

An assistant professor at University of Toronto from 1968 to 1975, Carter also taught at University of Waterloo, and what are now Ryerson University and OCAD University. Involved both professionally and as a citizen in numerous heritage projects, he is an active member and past president of the Port Hope Chapter of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) from whom he recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Carter currently resides in Toronto and Port Hope with his wife, Sheilagh Fletcher—an interior designer responsible for most of the interiors of his library projects.