REMEMBER WHEN?

A new take on a heritage building

The Centre for Urban Innovation finds a home in Toronto's first Ontario College of Pharmacy

IN FEBRUARY, Ryerson announced plans for a new Centre for Urban Innovation (CUI), a 40,000-square-foot research and commercialization hub focused on urban infrastructure issues set to open in September 2018. The centre will be in the former theatre school at 44 Gerrard St. East. The site has a storied history in Toronto – built in 1886, it was the first permanent facility for the Ontario College of Pharmacy. At the time of the college’s construction, a 19th-century Presbyterian Church sat to the west of 44 Gerrard St. East; it was demolished in the 1970s and replaced with a 34-storey apartment building.

In 1963, Ryerson acquired the College of Pharmacy site, using it for the university’s department of architectural technology, performance and journalism programs. The School of Journalism moved out in 1980. In preparation for the new CUI, the School of Performance moved to the Student Learning Centre in October 2016. The proposed alterations for 44 Gerrard St. East include a three-storey addition on the north and a five-storey addition to the south. The proposal will conserve the heritage resources by retaining the original 1886/1891 building in its entirety and a substantial portion of the 1940s addition.— by Antoinette Mercurio