Spencer R. Higgins, Architect Incorporated

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York Memorial Collegiate, Toronto

Architectural Conservator Services

York Memorial Collegiate is a large institutional heritage building constructed in 1929 as a memorial to youth killed in the Great War. The building was severely damaged during a six-alarm fire in 2019 and is presently (2025) being rebuilt and restored. The front wall and certain interior elements were designated in 1974 as having architectural value and interest. The architect Charles Wellington Smith's memorial elements include the foyer, auditorium and steps. The memorial mural in the auditorium was painted by John Alexander Hall in 1949.

ArconTEST was retained in 2022 by Integricon Property Restoration and Construction Group to provide site conservator services related to quality assurance and quality control on the restoration aspects of the project. ArconTEST was subsequently retained in 2024 by the Phase 2 restoration contractor, Clifford Restoration Limited, to carry on with these services.

ArconTEST provided attendance at weekly site visits to review conservation elements of the work and coordinate subtrades, provide quality control review and liase with Taylor Hazel Architects, the hertiage specialist firm on the project.

Items of work included in the conservator scope included:

• Limestone masonry conservation

• Brickwork restoration

• Ornamental woodwork conservation

• Ornamental plaster restoration

• Metal sash window replication

• Historic light fixture and memorial restoration

Yorm Memorial Collegiate from Eglinton Ave