Iconic Toronto building is about to be protected from future teardown

A Toronto building that still feels futuristic more than five decades since it was constructed is already a candidate for heritage protection.

And the real kicker? The Scarborough Civic Centre, now being considered for heritage status, is owned by the City of Toronto, meaning municipal officials are essentially protecting the building from themselves.

The City is pushing to designate the building at 150 Borough Dr. under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, citing its "cultural heritage value" as the driving factor behind the move to insulate the building from future redevelopment.

Constructed in 1973, the building is celebrating its 53rd anniversary in 2026 — making it one of the younger buildings nominated for heritage protection.

Designed by the late Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, who passed away during the building's 50th anniversary in 2023, the Scarborough Civic Centre served as the then-independent municipality's city hall from its opening until Toronto's 1998 amalgamation of suburbs.

Following amalgamation, the building was relegated to a lesser role as administrative offices for the Toronto District School Board and home to the Scarborough Community Council.

A report to the City's Preservation Board explains that Moriyama intended the building's design to serve "as an opportunity to explore the meaning of democracy at the municipal level through architectural form and its open spaces."

The report notes the building's Modern Expressionist style incorporates "a bold expression of individualism and design concept and is distinct by its geometric shapes and massive forms," citing its "circular central core and four extending quadrants comprising two half-pyramid-shaped office wings and two open civic spaces, including Albert Campbell Square and the Ceremonial Plaza."

The current push to grant the building heritage protections is actually not the first attempt to safeguard the Civic Centre from future demolition.

Just shy of the building turning 30, City Council adopted a Notice of Intention to Designate the Scarborough Civic Centre in February 2002, though the designation bylaw was never enacted, and the building remained vulnerable.

Designation of the building is to be considered by the Toronto Preservation Board during an upcoming Jan. 19, 2026, meeting.