Joan Burt

Joan Burt was the only woman to graduate from the University of Toronto’s architecture school in 1956, and the twenty-first woman to complete that program (since the first, Esther Marjorie Hill, in 1920). As a student Burt was influenced by a trip to Yugoslavia to study housing, and became convinced of its importance. Armed with experience and skills acquired while working at Mathers and Haldenby, Architects, Toronto (1956-1958) and with developer Irwin Burns of Burcon Construction (1958-1959), she established Joan Burt, Architect (1958- ) and created her own opportunities. In addition to new homes such as the Luella Booth Residence (c.1961) Toronto, Daymond House (1991) Guelph, O'Reilly Residence (1999) Etobicoke, Burt has been a pioneer of historic nineteenth-century row house renovation in downtown Toronto since the 1960s. Her specialty of repurposing old buildings was instrumental in the movement to preserve the architectural heritage and enhance and revitalize urban Toronto neighbourhoods. Focusing on rows of identical housing which create a street presence, her projects have included Clarence Terrace (1964), Belmont Terrace (1965), Alpha Avenue (1967) which resulted in the preservation of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood, Berkely Street (1969) which received a Beautify Toronto Award, King Street East and Wilkins Avenue (1976). Concurrent with Burt’s architectural practice, she was a part-time teacher of environmental design at the Ontario College of Art (1965-1970) and then served as Chairman of the Department of Design (1970-1985). In 2008 the first Joan Burt Architect Award (funded by a charitable foundation) was given to a fourth year Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCAD University) environmental design student. ²