Enjoy rare bell-tower tours at this site, one of Waterloo Region’s great church buildings. The 56-metre (184-foot) spire contains 10 bells. The church is also known for its patterned slate roof (recently having completed a $2.5-million renovation) and its picturesque location on the Grand River. Representatives from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation will be onsite during Doors Open.

Winner of several architectural awards, including a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, CIGI Campus houses several research and academic institutions — including the Balsillie School of International Affairs — that focus on global issues. The campus includes a landscaped courtyard with a contemporary academic quad. Highlighted by wood, glass and stone, the complex also features a signature bell tower and auditorium.

Careful restorations have returned Detweiler Meetinghouse — Ontario’s only surviving stone Mennonite meetinghouse — to its 1855 appearance, from its 12-pane window sashes to its original pine floors. The adjacent Roseville Cemetery has been in use since 1833. During Doors Open, staff from the Grace Schmidt Room of Local History at the Kitchener Public Library will be onsite with an informative display.

During Doors Open Waterloo Region, Globe Studios will feature an “Open Studio” event, with some of their 40 studio spaces open to the public. The former Bonnie Stuart Shoe Factory, which has been home to Globe Studios since 1999, specialized in children’s shoes. It closed in the late 1990s and the building is an adaptive reuse success story.

Tour the gallery at Hacksmith Industries, where they take fictional ideas from comics, movies and video games and make real, working prototypes as a way to inspire youth into science, technology and engineering. What started as a superhero-obsessed pipedream has become a business employing dozens, inspiring hundreds of thousands, entertaining millions and turning fiction into reality.

During the 100th anniversary of the Hespeler Carnegie Library, explore this “ship-in-a-bottle” renovation that preserved the original building while adding more space to better serve the growing community. Discover modern design elements that acknowledge Hespeler’s industrial past as a booming textile town and hockey stick manufacturer. During Doors Open, staff will describe how the building’s design blends old and new.

The Old Post Office is an award-winning, all-digital public library, offering breathtaking views of the Grand River and free technology programs for all ages. All four floors of the historical building will be open during Doors Open, including the Makerspace, Creative Studios, Discovery Centre, Riverview and Reading Room. The clock tower and the heritage staircase will also be featured.

Come and explore the John MacDonald Architect studio and the interior of this three-storey heritage building, which used to house the offices of the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission. The Commission ran the street railway between Kitchener and Waterloo, which ran between 1886 and 1946. This is one of the few remaining public buildings still standing from Kitchener’s early days.

Come and see how this century home was converted into a modern, near-net-zero house. This demonstration home was among the first residential retrofits certified LEED Platinum, showcasing sustainable technology — such as solar power, grey water system, geothermal and heat pump heating, storm water management and insulation options. During Doors Open, staff, volunteers and displays will guide and inform visitors.

Lights, camera, action! Rogers tv, Cable 20 is the area’s local community channel, covering issues, events, entertainment, sports and all things local! During Doors Open, come and tour the Rogers studio! Take a shot at calling an Ontario Hockey League game or reading a newscast. Get a glimpse of the control room and see how shows are created.

Enjoy a unique opportunity to explore this state-of-the-art building and research space, meet the staff and researchers, and learn about the work being done here around dementia, nutrition and aging, and mobility and movement. At this institute, the goal is to change the way we age in Canada, looking to a future where older adults live life to the fullest.

The Schnurr family has operated this business for 165 years, making it Canada’s oldest family-run grocer. Upstairs, explore Schnurr's Hall, which hosted musical shows and a circuit court from 1910 to the 1950s — preserved intact with original stage, theatrical sets, walls, floor, ceiling and more. Finish your tour with a walk through the general store on the main level.

The City of Waterloo’s Seagram Cultural Heritage Landscape Tour highlights Waterloo’s industrial architecture located on the site of the former Seagram Distillery (in operation from 1857 to 1992). Take a walk and discover reminders of the past and sites you see every day. The City of Waterloo will be offering free commemorative pins to Doors Open visitors while supplies last.

Explore this Hespeler beauty! The congregation from this church dates back to 1855 when they met to worship in the Royal Templar’s Hall on Cooper Street. In 1863, they built their own church, which was in use until 1908 when the present building was constructed. During Doors Open, the sanctuary will be open to visitors.

Welcome to this beautiful, old church in the country. Come and learn about the intricate reredos, altar and pulpit — built and carved by the Globe Furniture Company, a local manufacturer of church and school furniture that exported worldwide from 1910 to 1968. This charming church, built in 1877, boasts a geothermal furnace and solar panels to generate electricity.

This is the oldest municipal building in Waterloo Region still used for its original purpose. This one-storey building was constructed in 1855 and has also served as a community hall and place of worship. During Doors Open, the main floor will be open, featuring a display about the building’s history — organized by the Wellesley Township Heritage and Historical Society.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Waterloo Central Railway Restoration and Maintenance Facility — not usually open to the public — and see how equipment is restored and maintained for this heritage railway, which offers passenger train rides on the Waterloo Spur between Waterloo, St. Jacobs and Elmira. Volunteers from the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society will showcase their latest restoration projects.

Explore the exterior of Waterloo County’s oldest buildings — the Gaol and Governor’s House — graced by the garden that commemorates the 1853 birthplace of the county. Learn about the importance of choosing the right plants, shrubs and trees. Look for the old gaol cell doors being repurposed as decorative trellises. Discover how this legacy garden helped save the buildings from demolition.

Gain rare access to the observation deck of this iconic tower that commemorates the arrival of Pennsylvania-German settlers to Waterloo Region. Its random-coursed fieldstone construction, tapered Swiss copper roof, and Conestoga wagon weathervane reflect the origins and farming lifestyles of these settlers. It was built, in part, as a goodwill response to anti-German sentiment during the First World War.

The new Eastside Branch of the Waterloo Public Library — opened in May 2022 — boasts a vibrant, contemporary space with soaring ceilings, inviting lounge areas, light-filled interiors and an outdoor nature courtyard. Join us for a Doors Open tour co-hosted by library staff, John MacDonald Architect and ward99 architects inc. During the tour, all areas of the library will be open.