A Step in Time welcomes Doors Open Aurora 2010 with a "salute to our local heroes walk for peace." Storyteller and founder David Heard will guide a walk of southeast Aurora. Heard leads tours regularly throughout the year. He was inspired by his family’s early 1800s local heritage to create the Aurora Spirit Walk, an annual celebration of Aurora’s spooky past.
50 Wellington Street East, Aurora www.soulsalt.ca Architect: Builder, Edward Andrews; Year Built: 1855
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This outstanding example of a Gothic revival home was built in 1855 and has been sensitively adapted for office use (now home to SoulSalt Canada Inc). Visitors will be interested in the many 1850s architectural details that have been retained. Only the main floor will be open to the public.
The Aurora Farmers’ Market is a traditional town market featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables, backed goods, handmade jewelry and other crafts. The market is your first stop at Doors Open Aurora, where printed materials for all sites will be provided. It is also the starting point for special guided walking tours of historic Aurora.
33 Mosley Street, Aurora (905) 727-6079 Year Built: 1870
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Aurora Mechanics Institute and Library Association originated in 1855. It constructed this building, now the Lions Club Hall, in 1870, enlarging it in 1888. Over the years, the hall has been used for numerous local plays and concerts, as well as meetings, auctions and lectures. For Doors Open, it hosts the Scarborough Model Railroaders display.
15186 Yonge Street, Aurora (905) 727-1935 www.auroraunitedchurch.ca Architect: Henry Langley, Langley & Burke; Year Built: 1878
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The first church on this site was a log-cabin Methodist church built in 1818. The present building was designed by Henry Langley in the Gothic revival style, built in 1878. It lost one of its two original spires in a great storm in 1893; both spires were removed in 1943, having been struck by lightning several times. The sanctuary was renovated in 2009.
15010 Yonge Street, Aurora (905) 727-1656 www.pacecu.com Architect: Builder, Benjamin Stephenson; Year Built: c. 1915
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Built around 1915, Benjamin Stephenson House is a former residence designed in the Edwardian classicism style. Although now converted to office use (now the PACE Savings and Credit Union), much of the early Edwardian and arts and crafts wood interiors have been preserved. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit this site.
Charles H. Sheppard donated his house and estate to the Ontario Heritage Trust in the 1970s. Sheppard’s Bush is managed by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. The 1921 house, an outstanding example of the arts and crafts style, is occupied by the Windfall Ecology Centre, which will showcase ecologically friendly options available for heritage homes.
22 Church Street, Aurora (905) 713-1818 www.auroraculturalcentre.ca Architect: Thomas Kennedy; Year Built: 1885
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Church Street School, built in 1885, was used as a school until 1952. The impressive design was influenced by Indian architecture, popular at the time, as Queen Victoria had recently been proclaimed Empress of India. The building was recently restored as a cultural centre.
39 Catherine Avenue, Aurora Architect: W.J. and G.H. Phillips; Year Built: 1879
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Constructed in 1879, this building is best known as the boyhood home of former Prime Minister (1963-68) Lester B. Pearson. The house’s veranda, bay window and decorative bargeboard make it a fine example of a Victorian home. The present owners, the Maxwells, will guide you on an unforgettable tour of this charming heritage house.
Built in 1862, Hillary House is owned by the Aurora Historical Society. This National Historic Site is recognized as one of Canada’s best examples of Gothic revival architecture. The Koffler Museum of Medicine contains a significant collection of medical instruments, books, papers and furnishings. Also enjoy the gift shop and barbeque.
Founded in 1979, the Pine Tree Potters Guild is a not-for-profit organization with members who range from novice to experienced potters. Visit the guild’s fully equipped working studio at the Aurora Public Library and learn about hand-building and wheel-working methods, as well as decorating and glazing techniques.
This former church building, constructed in 1877 in the Gothic revival style, served the King circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1885, when it was purchased by the Masons. Join members of Aurora’s Rising Sun Masonic Lodge to tour one of the most interesting interiors on this year’s Doors Open tour.
15800 Yonge Street, Aurora (905) 727-3178 www.sac.on.ca Architect: Marani and Paisley; Year Built: 1926
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
St. Andrew’s College, established in Toronto in 1899, moved to Aurora in 1926. The school's architects, Marani and Paisley, won a gold medal from the Ontario Society of Architects for their design. Its Georgian architecture is built around the traditional quadrangle form. The college is set on 110 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds featuring mature trees and numerous playing fields.
View a fascinating exhibit by the Scarborough Model Railroaders, Toronto’s only dual-scale model railway club, formed in 1962 in the then-Township of Scarborough. The club’s “HO” scale layout depicts 1950s steam-to-diesel transition-era southwestern Ontario, while its “N” scale layout is loosely based on modern-day Appalachia.
89 Wellington Street East, Aurora (905) 726-3451 www.jackryn.com Year Built: c. 1883
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This historic home on Wellington Street East, built c. 1883, is a good example of the traditional Gothic revival style of architecture in Aurora. It has been converted to a one-of-a-kind boutique, featuring home décor items including premium European brands. Learn more about the history of this Victorian-era house while browsing through antiques and much more.
144 Hillview Road, Aurora Architect: Harry Lumsden, landscape architect;
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Flock to tour the garden of renowned naturalist and member of the Order of Canada Harry Lumsden. Learn about North America’s largest waterfowl, and Lumsden’s remarkable – and successful – work in re-establishing trumpeter swans, extinct from Ontario for over 100 years, in the province.
15243 Yonge Street, Aurora (905) 727-2341 Year Built: c. 1885
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Vic’s Shoe Repair is a traditional shoe repair store that form part of Aurora’s history. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet both former long time owner Vic Paraninfo and the new owner Raza Haghiri who will demonstrate the craft of shoe repair. The store is located in a historic commercial building; one of Aurora’s oldest, built circa 1885.
Built in 1883 for a local congregation of the Disciples of Christ, this building was acquired in 1922 by the Aurora Public School. Between 1945 and 1963, it served as Aurora’s public library. From that date on, it has been used as a meeting place and space for rent.
To experience Aurora's natural heritage, join the walking tours guided by Klaus Wehrenberg, a well-known local environmental and trails advocate. There will be two walking tours from Sheppard’s Bush Conservation Area to Vandorf Road and back along a trail loop. The tours will focus on ecological features in the forested valley lands. Each tour is about two hours long.
Meet at Aurora Farmers’ Market at Town Park, Aurora
Dates/Hours Open:
Saturday: 10 a.m. only
Renowned architectural historian and local history expert Dr. W. John McIntyre leads a walking tour of the northeast Old Aurora Heritage Conservation District and other heritage successes of this 2008 Prince-of-Wales-Prize-winning municipality. The tour leaves from the Doors Open booth at the Aurora Farmers Market at 10 a.m.
