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 historical Roseville Cemetery has been in use since 1833. During Doors Open, tour the building, stroll the grounds and enjoy this rare and beautifully preserved site in a serene rural setting.

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.

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.

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.