The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) Toronto is looking for an intern to contribute to their TOBuilt database and assist with their “Heritage and Housing” Symposium, taking place September 23rd, 2023. This internship focuses on assisting with pre- and post-symposium duties and documenting overlooked forms of heritage for the TOBuilt database.
About the organization:
The role of the ACO Toronto has been to set the stage for conservation advocacy through public education. Our public information efforts have evolved from public events and publishing books and magazines to the development of our most significant research project to date: TOBuilt, a publicly accessible online database of buildings and heritage sites across Toronto. TOBuilt offers a means of recording all property in city, including photographs, research, drawings, and links to other, external sources of information. The database is open source and provides an opportunity for anyone with information to share it with others. We hope that consolidating community research will facilitate protection for future generations!
About the placement:
Much of the detached house architecture in Toronto’s outer boroughs is or will be threatened by development pressures as Outer Toronto continues to densify. TOBuilt has documented over 2,000 of these building to date and is working to further build knowledge of these under-represented areas. At the same time, the advent of Bill 23 puts pressure on conserving more traditional forms of heritage and TOBuilt’s uniquely large catalogue of the city’s buildings presents an opportunity to record these geographically and by typology. A key part of the research TOBuilt undertakes involves communicating our work to an interested public and we’re constantly developing new and exciting ways of doing so.
Possible internship responsibilities include documenting suburban houses built in Toronto’s inner suburbs between 1940 and 2000, investigating the effects of Bill 23, and developing public communication strategies about buildings and heritage sites using social media and other avenues.
In addition, the intern will assist with the planning and event coordination for ACO Toronto’s annual symposium, held on September 23rd, 2023 at the Ontario Science Centre. Duties may include assisting with event logistics before and day of symposium, set up and teardown of event, social media support and writing up a post-event report. The intern will be joining a team of heritage researchers, working alongside city heritage planners and consultants. This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in historic architecture, heritage, and urban planning!
Requirements: The intern must be available on September 23rd, 2023 and be able to commute to the Ontario Science Centre. The intern must also have flexible availability the week before the symposium, but this can be remote. The remainder of the internship will take place remotely, but the ideal candidate would be based in Toronto in order to assist with photographing Toronto buildings.
Timing or hours of placement: 8-10 hours per week/12 weeks, up to a maximum of 120 hours. The week before the symposium may require more than 10 hours, but this will be discussed with the intern. Hours will be balanced and flexible after the symposium.
Credit: Half credit (0.5). This internship is for pass/fail course credit at the University of Toronto through the Department of Art History. This is not a paid position.
Interested students should send an application by August 28, 2023 to Dr Jessica Mace (jessica.mace@utoronto.ca). Applications should include 1) a letter of interest (including any relevant coursework or experience), 2) the bursary eligibility form, and 3) a resume. Please indicate to which posting(s) you are applying. If you are interested in multiple postings, you only need to submit one application.
This project has been funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning program and CEWIL Canada’s iHUB.
This project is supported by the Learning & Education Advancement Fund at the University of Toronto.
Canada constructed: architecture, landscape, history 