Ontario Court of Justice Toronto

The New Toronto Courthouse is a 17-storey facility that will become the largest courthouse in Ontario, occupying a site with a layered history dating back to the 1840s.

Following the demolition of earlier structures in the 1980s, significant archaeological remains were preserved beneath the site until extensive excavations began in 2016. Led by Infrastructure Ontario, this work uncovered thousands of artifacts and documented the footprints of former buildings, forming the basis for a comprehensive interpretation program.

+VG Architects was retained by EllisDon to lead the heritage approvals process and develop a site-wide interpretation strategy in coordination with Infrastructure Ontario, the Ministry of the Attorney General, and the City of Toronto. The work involved extensive consultation, including engagement with the City’s Heritage Interpretation Working Group, the Ministry’s Indigenous Elders’ Council, and representatives from Six Nations, Huron-Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

With no physical heritage fabric remaining on site, the design approach focused on layered interpretation integrated throughout the public realm. Elements include inlaid bronze markers, exterior interpretive panels, digital installations, artifact displays, and a large-scale commemoration of the former British Methodist Episcopal Church.

The result is a coordinated and immersive strategy that reconnects the site to its history while supporting the civic presence of the new courthouse. The project received a 2024 OAA Design Excellence Award.