Eberhard Zeidler, who was responsible for landmark projects such as the Eaton Centre, Ontario Place and Queen's Quay Terminal, died on Jan. 7, 2022.
Eb, as he was known to the design and architectural community, designed over 1,000 projects around the world, including Canada Place in Vancouver, the Kravis Centre for the Performing Arts in Florida and the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. Born in Germany in 1926, he moved to Canada in 1951 and began his architectural practice in Peterborough. He later relocated to Toronto in 1963 and established Craig, Zeidler and Strong. As projects and recognition grew, the firm transformed into Zeidler Partnership Architects with offices in Calgary, Victoria, London UK, Berlin, Beijing and Abu Dhabi.
Eb's legacy extends far beyond building. His profound influence in the community was unparalleled. He taught at University of Toronto as an adjunct professor from 1983 to 1995 and was a mentor to many young graduates and supervised several throughout their careers. His approach to architecture, which was to design around the human experience, established him as an early pioneer of place-making.
Eb was a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario and a gold medallist from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He was also awarded an honourary doctorate from University of Toronto, where his namesake library serves architecture students today. Zeidler's autobiography, "Buildings Cities Life" was published in 2013.
With his wife, Jane, and his family, including Kate, Robert, Christina and Margie, he helped create a valuable cultural landscape in Toronto. He will be fondly remembered.