In Memory of Paul Oberman
In Memory of Paul Oberman, August 7th, 1957 - March 7th, 2011
In memory of Paul Oberman, a former Pug Awards Advisory Board member who passed away on March 7th, 2011, the Pug Awards Executive Committee has instituted a new People’s Choice Award entitled the Paul Oberman Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Restoration Award for both the residential and commercial/institutional categories. Recipient's of this award are listed in the Hall of Fame.
The passing of Paul Oberman is an enormous loss for our city and the Pugs. Apart from being a dedicated and caring family man and generous philanthropist, Paul was a "connoisseur" of heritage restoration projects and was personally responsible for the rejuvenation of some of Toronto's finest buildings including the Summerhill LCBO, Flat Iron Building and King James Place. Paul understood the architectural significance and economic potential of historical buildings and through his immense talent was able to revive relics of our city's past through sensitive preservation and a keen awareness of modern design. Sadly, there are few developers in Toronto who truly understand the causal relationship between built form / planning standards and the quality of urban life and so Paul's passing leaves our local development industry with a void in leadership and vision. His charming personality, warm sense of humor, zest for life and all its beauty will be missed.