First occupied by the Calvary Church, this building has housed the synagogue since 1946. Named for Ezekiel Cadesky, a Russian immigrant who settled here in the early 1900s, the structure draws from the tradition of simple, turn-of-the-20th-century Georgian meeting halls. Intricate stained-glass windows tell the story of many member families. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1990.

The Billy Bishop Museum remains an Owen Sound landmark. Boyhood home of the eponymous First World War flying ace, this museum invites you to explore the Bishop family and to honour the contributions of service men and women, past and present. Dedicated as a museum in 1987, this site became a National Historic Site in 2002.

This church was built in 1889 for the West Side Methodists. They soon outgrew this little chapel and, in 1911, they sold it and it became the British Methodist Episcopal Church (originally known as “the coloured people's church”). Today, this diverse congregation continues to carry on the legacy of the original Black families who settled in Grey County.

Built in 1910 as the Westside Methodist Church, this building remains much the same as it did then. It was constructed of local materials with Renaissance proportions in the Akron style. A veranda was added to the northeast entrance and a wheelchair ramp at the west entrance. The pipe organ also dates from 1910.

The Marine Rail Heritage Centre, housed inside the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre, was established in 1978 by a volunteer group of enthusiasts to showcase Owen Sound’s history as a thriving port. Located inside the historical railway station, this museum preserves the area’s marine, rail and industrial history with artifacts, scale models, archival photos, interactive stations and railway memorabilia.

Stop by these three exterior-only sites to read information provided for Doors Open visitors:
Kennedy Terrace (791 2nd Avenue West): one of Owen Sound’s best-preserved examples of Victorian residential terraces. 
Thomson Beverages - Pepsi Manufacturing Facility (1701 3rd Avenue East): a mid-20th century soda bottling facility.
The Owen Sound Cenotaph (815 1st Avenue West): dedicated in 1920, serving as a memorial to all Canadian veterans. 

This school is a 600-square-metre (6,500-square-foot) maker space that complements the expanding arts scene in Owen Sound. With classes in pottery, jewelry, printmaking, stained glass and more, the school is steadily growing — offering new classes and open studios and acquiring new equipment regularly. Come and explore this creative space and see how they foster collaboration and skills development.

Originally a church, this dynamic cultural institution is dedicated to providing the community with accessible and affordable spaces to share, create, educate and perform. With a 700-seat auditorium, a commons area, kitchen/banquet facilities, and numerous smaller lofts and studios, the Harmony Centre is an example of the value of retrofitting an existing community asset to respond to changing times.

Once a railway station, the Mudtown Station Brewery and Restaurant (now designated) offers a meeting place in Owen Sound’s Mudtown neighbourhood that celebrates both the history of the city and the talents of its present-day residents. Stop by for a tour or enjoy some of their scratch-made food produced with local ingredients and paired with local craft beer.

This library was founded in 1855 as a Mechanics’ Institute. The present neoclassical structure — completed in 1914 with a Carnegie Foundation grant — features exterior monumental brick pilasters with carved limestone trim and bases, and a barrel-vaulted ceiling with decorative plasterwork. An addition dates from 1972. The building was designated in 2009. Of architectural note is this library’s vaulted ceiling.

Constructed in 1905 as a retail store, this building was purchased in 1924 by a rival retailer who operated it as a dry goods store until 1989. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1990, it is now home to the Owen Sound Artists' Co-op — a gallery/retail space for area artists to showcase and sell their work.

Lawn bowling has been a popular summer sport in Owen Sound for more than 100 years. The club, originally called Owen Sound North (Brooke) Lawnbowling Club, purchased this property for $200 in 1948. After a fire in the 1990s destroyed the St. George’s Lawnbowling Club facility, Roselawn welcomed its members. Come and visit and try your hand at lawn bowling!

The Roxy Theatre building, which was originally the Grand Opera House, was constructed in 1913 and has long been a landmark in Owen Sound. The Owen Sound Little Theatre, a not-for-profit charitable organization, now uses the building for community theatrical productions as well as many stage performances and musical events. Free parking on Saturdays in the lot behind the theatre.

This church is an active community member — with bi-monthly neighbourhood dinners, the O’Share program for those with food and housing insecurity, the annual Great Lakes Sailors Blessing of the Fleet, community concerts, the weekly Shoreline Chorus and a weekly youth karate group in the parish hall. Doors Open Owen Sound is a wonderful opportunity to explore this heritage building.

The former Sydenham Community School, built in 1967, was an elementary school until 2017. In 2018, Grey County purchased the 4,200-square-metre (45,000-square-foot) building and turned it into a regional hub now called Sydenham Campus. The partners and tenants form a collection of trainers and businesses that support workers, entrepreneurs and local organizations by providing access to education and training.

Established in 1967 as a memorial to iconic Canadian landscape artist Tom Thomson, this gallery houses a nationally significant collection of the artist’s works and artifacts. It develops exhibitions and programs that enrich the region and contribute to a national visual arts discourse. Completely renovated in 1988, the gallery features exhibition halls, collection storage, an educational studio and atrium.

The Owen Sound Daily Sun-Times began publication in 1922 and was printed at the Fleming Publishing Co. plant located here, more commonly known as The Sun Times Building. Now home to a number of local businesses, the YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce inhabits approximately 1114 square-metres (12,000 square-feet) of the completely renovated historic building in Downtown Owen Sound.