Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) announced that preparations are underway for construction of its Student Wellbeing Centre. The eight-storey facility, to be housed as part of TMU’s historic O’Keefe House (137 Bond Street), will consolidate well-being related services under one roof to improve access and service delivery for the entire university community.
The Student Wellbeing Centre will include the Centre for Student Development and Counseling, Health Promotion Programs, Medical Centre, Academic Accommodation Support, Tri-Mentoring Program, Thriving Innovations and Consent Comes First.
“It’s so exciting to see this project underway and to know that we’ll soon have another landmark building on campus that is completely tailored to students’ needs,” said Jen McMillen, vice-provost, Students.
The TMU community can expect to see signs of construction, including hoarding around the building site, work crews and a partial lane closure on Bond Street. The partial lane closure will be in effect for the duration of construction, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
TMU has selected Pomerleau as construction managers for the project, with an official groundbreaking ceremony to take place later this spring.
The Student Wellbeing Centre is made possible as a result, in part, of the 2022 student referendum to increase the health and well-being fee to improve services. The project has also recently received additional funding through generous donations from chancellor Donette Chin-Loy Chang; vice-chair and co-founder of Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., Richard Rooney; and former CEO of TD Bank, director of Thomson Reuters and chair of the Vector Institute, Ed Clark, each of whom donated $1 million to the project.
“As we watch the Student Wellbeing Centre develop, I’d like to thank the donors who are helping to bring this vision to life with their incredible generosity, and want to acknowledge that students are at the forefront of this innovative space,” added McMillen.
“Together, their investments are changing how TMU is able to foster well-being on campus.”
While TMU’s Student Wellbeing Centre will be a modern, sustainable and innovative hub that brings all well-being services together, it will also preserve a large piece of TMU’s historic campus.
O’Keefe House, built in 1875, was originally the residence of Eugene O’Keefe, founder of O’Keefe Brewery Company of Toronto Limited. The building was offered to former TMU principal Howard H. Kerr in 1963 and until 1991 when Pitman Hall was built, it operated as the university’s only residence.
For its new role as the home of the Student Wellbeing Centre, TMU worked with the City of Toronto’s Heritage Planning services as well as an independent heritage consultant in order to preserve the historic O’Keefe House.
TMU worked with Hariri Pontarini Architects as the prime consultant for the design and redevelopment of O’Keefe House and its new addition. Two Row Architect provided Indigenous design services.
Featured image: TMU’s Student Wellbeing Centre will be built as part of the historic O’Keefe House, at the corner of Bond and Gould streets. (TMU)
