A
Commitment to Toronto’s architectural heritage
Led by Michael Cruickshank
and Robert Eisenberg, York
Heritage Properties is very much a refection of its principals'
long-time enthusiasm for, and
commitment to, the preservation
of Toronto’s rich architectural
heritage. A director of Citizens
for Old Town, the non-profit community organization dedicated
to the heritage-based revitalization
of the oldest area of the city,
Mr. Cruickshank is also a co-founder of Business Improvement
Areas in both the St. Lawrence
and Liberty Village neighbourhoods.
Similarly, Mr.
Eisenberg is a co-founding
member of the St. Lawrence
and Liberty Village BIA’s and has
spoken at many events over
the years on the importance
and benefit of preserving older
buildings. In recognition of
their firm’s
work, York Heritage Properties
received a 1988 Award of Merit from
the Toronto Historical Board
for its restoration of 67 Front
St. E. and a commendation in
1996 for routinely investing
in commercial heritage properties
and actively supporting the
cause of preservation. In addition,
the firm has received a Business
Recognition Award from the
City of Toronto. And in 2003,
its most recently completed
project,
the Toronto Carpet Factory,
was awarded a Certificate of
Building Excellence in the
Historical Building category
from the Building Owners and
Managers
Association (BOMA) of Greater
Toronto.
Toronto
Carpet Factory a positive catalyst
Currently home to a wide and
impressive variety of established high-tech firms, young start-up
companies and dynamic design practices, the Toronto Carpet Factory
is only the latest example of the kind of positive catalyst
that a York Heritage renovation can be and has been for the
cause of heritage in Toronto. From its prominent position on
the northern perimeter of the previously moribund Liberty Village
neighbourhood, the restored and renovated Toronto Carpet Factory
has become an icon for the entire district and a stimulus for
the renovation of other older industrial buildings, several
of which were slated for demolition in the area.
Evolution of
St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood
Across town in the St. Lawrence
neighbourhood, York Heritage's
many restoration and renovation projects in that part of the
city have played a similarly positive
role in its evolution over
the last several years. During the past decade, St. Lawrence
has become one of the most dynamic
and desirable areas of the
city, attracting scores of new residents and businesses through
its proximity to the downtown core, famous
market, mixed-income dwellings
and, not least, blocks of Georgian and other heritage buildings.
Before
the neighbourhood became
fashionable, however, York
Heritage Properties was on the scene, restoring and renovating
a significant collection of its buildings.
In both St. Lawrence and Liberty
Village, York Heritage Properties is demonstrating by example
that it is not only socially responsible
but also economically profitable
to restore older buildings. Indeed, it has made a philosophy
of the practice, much to the
benefit of the neighbourhoods in
which York Heritage operates.
