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THE NOMINEES
Nominees are being recognized for their extraordinary contributions to Toronto's heritage in three categories: Book, Public History, and Built Heritage.
Vying for the Book award are 22 nominees including: Wheeling through Toronto: A History of the Bicycle and Its Riders, a chronicle of the tumultuous history of the bicycle in a rapidly growing city and an argument for its current role in a world challenged by climate and affordability crises; The Depanneur Cookbook, a compilation of 100 recipes from 100 cooks that evoke the modern immigrant story, selected from the food offerings of an evolving culinary venue founded in an old corner store; and Caught In the Eye of the Storm: Urban Revitalization in Toronto's Lawrence Heights, a case study of one of Toronto's most famous public housing developments, now subject to a large revitalization initiative that threatens the social fabric of its proud and politically active community.
Highlighted among the 29 projects in the Public History category are Presence: Life in Little Thundering Waters, a short documentary that delves into the intertwined histories and present-day realities of Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities along the Humber River, and their relationship with nature; Liberation on the Dance Floor: Reflective Nostalgia, a public exhibition on large-scale dance parties organized by a volunteer-based group in the 1980s that raised over $250,000 to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and build political coalitions; and Resetting School Section no.12, an immersive new media installation that transformed a historic schoolhouse into a dynamic stage to spotlight 110 years of education in Toronto and its impact on individual and societal values. Two awards will be presented in this category, including the Peoples Choice Award selected by event attendees and Heritage Toronto supporters.
This year's nine Built Heritage Award nominees include 2 Queen Street West, an 1896 Renaissance Revival-style building, known as the Woolworth Building, whose restoration and accentuation of its historically significant curved-facade revitalized one of Toronto’s few remaining 19th-century commercial structures for contemporary use; the FitzGerald Building, the adaptive reuse of the 1927 Georgian Revival-style building, formerly a public health laboratory and research facility that produced insulin until 1969, into an open and interconnected administrative hub; and IMMIX, the transformation of two heritage structures, including a Victorian-era clock tower that was a mid-20th century landmark for Toronto's queer history, into a dynamic residential experience. Three awards will be presented in this category.
A full nominee list, by category and with descriptions, is available at the 2025 Awards website.
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