Located at the Hill Park Learning Centre, the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Archives contains records and memorabilia of almost 350 former and current Hamilton-region schools. The volunteers and staff will be illustrating the many schools in Hamilton Region that have been repurposed to residential or commercial use. This is a treasure trove for former students and families!

The restoration project at this site brings together two 19th-century heritage buildings — each with an elegant façade. Only by combining the two buildings was it possible to bring the structures to modern standards and code, rather than demolishing them. The architects kept the old character and plaster walls while updating mechanical and structural aspects of the building.

This innovative concert hall has a virtual acoustic system. It advances research on human interaction and music's impact on health. It is also used to assist Parkinson's patients, improve music listening for the hard of hearing, and enhance creativity in performances. This acclaimed national treasure offers a unique contribution to understanding the power of music. Limited availability. Pre-registration required.

As an Anglican church, St. Mark’s served the community for over 100 years before closing in 1989. Now owned by the City of Hamilton, the site has undergone extensive restoration, preserving the heritage character of the building and park, while adding modern services, gardens and accessibility. It now has a new life as a community arts and cultural programming space.

The McMaster Museum of Art has developed a self-guided walking tour that highlights architecture on the campus, with information about the history, evolution and styles of architecture along the way. Access the tour here, with photographs sourced from McMaster’s digital archives. You can follow the text descriptions or use headphones and be guided by recorded audio.

The Mohawk Trail School is a historical one-room schoolhouse built in 1882. It is a fine example of architecture that served early education in Ontario. It became a museum in 1967 as part of the centennial celebrations. Come and tour the schoolhouse — the oldest surviving example in the community that is still presented in its original form.

Built in 1914 as a vaudeville and movie theatre, this distinctive beaux-arts building was designed by Stewart & Witton. After 76 years of continuous operation, the theatre closed in August 1990. But, in 2018, it reopened as an independent art-house cinema. Original architectural features — including lavish interiors — have been beautifully restored, and a new neon sign recreates the long-lost original.

This 1885-86 building in the heart of Dundas has been a foundry, indoor skating/curling rink, bus depot, warehouse and, since 2016, this brewery. The wood post-and-beam/brick masonry structure has been preserved yet modernized with the latest in craft beer equipment. The brewery focuses on German-style lagers with an emphasis on quality and authenticity.

Believed to have been built in 1812 to house soldiers, The Barracks Inn building has been a drugstore, a body shop and a tool and die shop over the years. The original building burned down and was replaced by a solid stone structure. Now a luxury boutique hotel, the building has been remodelled and delightfully restored.

This was Hamilton’s first theatre built expressly to show “talkies” — motion pictures with sound. The beautiful art deco building was fully restored in 2017 by the Westdale Cinema Group and has become a cinematic, cultural and economic hub. The venue now hosts live events as well as films. It is also a community space managed as a not-for-profit charitable organization.

Meet the Ward 2 Heritage Council at the Lister Building. They are a small group of residents, along with Councillor Cameron Kroetsch, who celebrate and promote the rich heritage of Ward 2 communities. See how you can get involved with the Ward 2 Heritage Council to preserve Hamilton’s built heritage and create a vibrant sense of pride within the community.

Whitehern Historic House and Garden is a mid-19th-century urban estate owned by the McQuesten family for three generations. It was built in 1848 with a 1930s addition. The home includes original family furnishings from the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras in the context of Thomas B. McQuesten’s career in 1939. Today, it is a splendid museum with beautiful gardens.