Don Schmitt is a founding partner of Diamond Schmitt Architects, one of Canada’s most respected architectural practices. He was born in South Porcupine, a small mining town in northern Ontario, and grew up surrounded by nature. After moving to Toronto in his teens, he was introduced to the city’s architecture while attending high school near the University of Toronto. A Christmas gift of The Master Builders by Peter Blake, chronicling the lives of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier, sparked a deep fascination that shaped his future.
Though discouraged by a guidance counselor, Don enrolled in general arts before transferring into architecture at the University of Toronto. He immersed himself in studio work and took a year off to travel solo across Central and South America. There, he explored historic cities and planning traditions like the Laws of the Indies, forming a lasting perspective on community and place-making.
After graduating, he worked in London and Toronto before joining Jack Diamond’s practice in 1978. The firm had 12 employees. In 1983, Don became a named partner. One of his early major projects was the Central YMCA in Toronto, a complex civic building he helped deliver while still in his twenties. His portfolio grew to include the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the Peter Gilgan Centre at SickKids, and the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa.
Diamond Schmitt has since grown into an internationally recognized firm with studios in Toronto, Vancouver, and New York. Don remains deeply involved in design and continues to shape architecture that builds civic identity and brings people together. His career reflects a belief in architecture as a public act, grounded in curiosity, listening, and care.
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