Concordia’s Toronto-Dominion Building restoration earns a national award for heritage conservation

When Gohar Ali learned about the planned restoration of the south and east facades of the Toronto-Dominion (TD) Building, he immediately inquired about getting involved.

The project manager of infrastructure projects in Facilities Management had worked on revitalizing the building’s north and west facades in 2013 and was eager to finish what he had started.

“I consider this building to be the face of Concordia,” Ali says. “Whenever you approach the Sir George Williams Campus from the west on Sainte-Catherine Street, it’s the first thing you see. Architecturally, the building is beautiful.”

Completed in the summer of 2023, this latest project included the restoration of the limestone and sandstone masonry, the rehabilitation of the cast-iron curtain wall, the replacement of windows and doors and the reconstruction of the main cornice — the horizontal decorative moulding that crowns the building.

The work was so successful that the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) recently awarded the project team an Award of Merit in its Conservation – Architecture category. The recognition highlights how the restoration brought the 121-year-old building back to life.

“This project truly deserves this award — the hard work paid off,” Ali says.