HGH Granite Inc.

Our colleague Steven represented HGH at the annual Arbor Memorial Inc. Foundation Golf Tournament last month.

And he had a great day on the course.

The first photo shows Steven alongside his golf team: Kristin Dalton, Coldspring Representative; Melissa Kropp, Procurement Manager at Arbor Memorial, and Amy Thielen, Coldspring Representative.

The second pic shows the delicious dinner that rounded off a fantastic day.

A big thank you to the Arbor Memorial Foundation for hosting another enjoyable event.

Already looking forward to next year!

With summer around the corner, it got us thinking about some of the water-focused public spaces we've been proud to contribute to over the years.

From the fountain at Berczy Park and the water features at Grange Park, to Waterloo Park, La Salle Civic Centre, and the reflecting pond at the Royal Botanical Gardens, each project has used granite in a slightly different way.

Whether it's framing fountains, edging reflecting pools, or defining key features within a landscape, granite plays an important role in these environments.

Water features place unique demands on materials, which is one of the reasons - ever hard-working and durable - granite continues to be a popular choice for landscape architects, designers, and municipalities.

Image credits: DiegoyKarola, Reddit, RGB Canada, and Soucy Aquatik

Happy Independence Day to our family, friends, neighbours, customers and suppliers across the border.

This July 4 marks a special milestone as the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence.

From all of us at HGH, we'd like to wish you all a wonderful day.

🇨🇦 Happy Canada Day from all of us at HGH Granite!

We're proud to call this country home and feel privileged to create architectural pieces, memorials, monuments, public spaces, and landmark projects that help shape our communities.

Instead of closing today, our offices will be closed on July 3rd as our team takes a well-earned day to celebrate and enjoy a long weekend.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing day.

Some of the most impactful granite work happens underfoot.

Working alongside landscape architects, designers, municipalities, and contractors, we've supplied paving and stone elements for public spaces across Canada.

⛲Take the projects pictured here. At Berczy Park and Meridian Hall (formerly the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts) in Toronto, granite pavers help create an architectural "carpet" that unifies and defines the space.

🌲At the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Voices of Freedom in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Markham Veterans Square and Cenotaph, granite paving has been used to create striking radial designs that add meaning and a strong sense of place.

Each project demonstrates the versatility of granite, showing how it can unify a space, create a destination - and provide the durability needed for decades of public use.

A hidden view of Toronto?

One of the boulders HGH sourced and installed for Trillium Park, Ontario Place, has a secret.

Look through a small hole in the stone and you'll find the CN Tower perfectly framed in the distance.

It's a detail many visitors walk straight past. What began as a core hole from the quarrying process was cleverly incorporated during installation, creating a perfectly framed view that's been delighting photographers and keen-eyed park-goers for years.

Projects like Trillium Park are full of moments like this, where natural stone becomes more than just a landscape feature and starts to create experiences all of its own.

Have you spotted this hidden view before?

Here are two of HGH's projects that began in the heart of Canada's oldest landscape.

The projects pictured feature granite sourced from the Canadian Shield - the vast geological formation that covers roughly half of Canada and contains rock formed billions of years ago.

The first picture is of the residential development at 88 Sheppard Avenue in North York, where Canadian Shield boulders were used to create a contemporary water feature.

The second picture shows the Village of Yorkville Park, a commercial and residential hub in Toronto. Here, the Canadian Shield rocks form a natural centerpiece within the park - and offer a brilliant contrast of old and new.

Moving stone of this scale is never a simple task. But, through careful planning, sourcing, transportation, and installation, we helped bring pieces of Canada's ancient natural landscape into contemporary urban environments, allowing people who live, work, and shop here to enjoy a connection to the country's geological heritage.

🎈Not your average repair job, these giant granite balloons have become a familiar sight at Dundas Driving Park.

The sculptures were created by British Columbia-based artists Paul Slipper and Mary Anne Liu as part of a public art installation called The Big Bounce.

🎈Over time, some sections required repair and restoration, so HGH was brought in to help preserve the pieces.

The first step was a detailed assessment to determine what could be saved and what needed replacing.

🎈In this case, we were able to retain portions of the original granite while sourcing new stone to match the existing material.

Repairing and reusing sections of the existing stone preserved the character of the artwork - and reduced the scope and cost of the restoration.

🎈Using selection of hand tools, polishing pads, and structural-grade epoxy, our team carefully repaired, blended, and reassembled the affected sections before reinstalling them on site.

Unfortunately, we were disheartened to learn that the sculptures have already been vandalised again since the restoration was completed. We’ll be returning to carry out further repairs and do our part to help preserve this public artwork for the community.

🎈Public art helps bring character, creativity, and conversation to shared spaces. We hope visitors can continue to enjoy and appreciate these pieces without causing further damage, so they can be enjoyed for years to come.