‘I think too often we erase the past’
Local architect Camille Mitchell has found a rhythm living in the city
Camille Mitchell was raised in a household that fuelled her passion for math and visual arts. She landed on architecture as a career because it was a “happy marriage” between the two.
“Our activities were going to open houses and checking out different home layouts and things like that,” says Mitchell, an architect at Gensler. “As the youngest of four, I was my dad’s sidekick to build anything around the house. My father immigrated to Canada as a draftsperson so I grew up with a draft board in the house.”
Mitchell spent her childhood in Hamilton, but moved to Toronto after graduate school. Initially, she stayed in the city to work on a project, the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, for six years. But she ended up settling into Toronto, she says, and “finding a rhythm.”
As well as her work as an architect, Mitchell is a founding member of Black Architects and Interior Design Association, an organization dedicated to the advancement of Black architects and interior designers across Canada. She is also a founding member of Building Equality in Architecture (BEA) Toronto, which focuses on the promotion of equality and inclusion in design professions.
What is a hidden gem in Toronto?
A literal hidden gem is The PATH. A lot of people in the city are still not familiar with it. But it’s this whole network connecting our city underground. Fortunately, I’ve always had opportunities to work downtown and got familiar with navigating The PATH. For the city, it’s unique.
Montreal has a version and other cities have tried — but how extensive it is and how integrated it is and how connected it is, I think it is a hidden gem … I can go in the coldest weather and still enjoy exploring the city.
Where do you go to feel like you’re escaping the city?
The waterfront, especially during COVID. I had the opportunity to rediscover the Toronto waterfront, meeting up with friends at different locations, even from Mimico to Pickering. It’s a great opportunity … especially when you look toward the water, you see skylines of other cities. Even though it’s a continuous waterfront, there are so many different pockets that offer different perspectives. The neighbourhoods — some of them are currently developed, some of them have art ingrained into them.
What’s your go-to takeout spot? I would say Ravi Soups.
What building do you appreciate?
The BCE Place (now called Brookfield Place). It’s a contemporary building — it’s part of The PATH — but what it does is connect other buildings. It also highlights those older buildings. I think too often we erase the past instead of integrating. There’s times when demolition is required, but if there’s an opportunity to integrate what was there as opposed to erasing what was there, I think it’s a good challenge for designers, too. How do you work with existing conditions versus a blank slate?
What is your most Toronto memory?
Caribana. Growing up in Hamilton as a child, it was a way to connect with the Caribbean community here in Canada. As I got older, I participated. It’s a beautiful thing to watch, but to be a part of the carnival and getting in costume … For me, it’s a way to represent my heritage in a colourful, celebratory way.
What’s great about it is the memory from childhood to present day. It’s something I can reinvent every year and cherish the moment with family and friends. In 2018, I got to judge. As a participant, as a viewer and now as a judge, I’ve had that perspective of the Carnival and the Grand Parade.
What’s your favourite neighbourhood?
I really like downtown. I like it for work … I say that because of the proximity of everything. Especially in the summer, there are often a lot of activities and street events that are open. I’m talking about a preCOVID world. You could walk to the film festival and its street activities, or if it’s (Toronto Caribbean) Carnival, or Pride.
Who is someone in Toronto we should know about?
Emily Mills. She is the founder of How She Hustles, which is an organization that encourages networking and the development of female entrepreneurs, especially Black female entrepreneurs. Emily is also the WXN’s Top 100 Canada’s Most Powerful Women Award recipient and she’s worked with CBC.
I had the opportunity to participate in her project, HERstory in Black, which was aligned with Canada’s 150th year. Especially with Black history we often look to the past, and often we look to American history … Her project was to recognize 150 Black women in the present day and what they were doing. I had the opportunity to speak on behalf of architects and the lack of representation in that field, and to share that on a national network.