Built in 1924 in the heart of Westboro, the designated Westboro Masonic Hall has opened its doors to the public for the past several years. Join a guided tour of the Victorian banquet hall and the Masonic lodge room. The elegant Victorian hall — with its high ornate ceilings, crystal chandelier and rich draperies — is one of Ottawa’s best-kept secrets.

Westminster Presbyterian is a large facility that is humming year-round. Constructed over four decades in a mix of architectural styles, the building today features an education wing, a gym and a popular pre-school. It has also been used for private parties, exercise classes and square dancing. Of note are the historical flags, the beautiful stained-glass windows and the organ.

Founded in 1990, the Whitchurch Stouffville Food Bank is entirely volunteer based, providing support for residents impacted by food insecurity. Visit this site and experience a self-guided tour, get behind the scenes, and learn food sorting skills that you can take home with you. You may also be inspired by one of their many recipes.

The Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre has preserved and interpreted local heritage since 1971. This year, you can engage with different behind-the-scenes areas of the museum to learn about the lifecycle of an artifact — from donation to display. With over 18,000 artifacts, there is much to see. Explore their heritage buildings and exhibition galleries, including the newly restored Bogarttown Schoolhouse!

Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, Toronto’s oldest standing and first free school, opened to the children of Corktown in 1849. It served as an important catalyst for accessible public education in the province. Today, the site is a museum and events venue where visitors can step back in time to an urban Victorian classroom. Come and tour the site for Doors Open.

This is the birthplace of James Shaver Woodsworth, one of the founders of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. A Member of Parliament during Mackenzie King’s term, Woodsworth was instrumental in enacting old-age pensions and unemployment insurance. The house was rescued from demolition in 1980 and moved to its current location. Today, it is largely used for weddings, special events and filming.

Canada’s second-oldest rowing club is also the birthplace of the Toronto Argonauts football team. Located along the waterfront trail’s western shores, the club offers programs to fit different needs, abilities and interests. Take a tour of the facility, explore the Trophy Room, enjoy a coffee in the Henley Room, and see some of the best views of Lake Ontario.

Windfields Estate was the principal residence of E.P. Taylor (1901-89). The family bequeathed the property to the municipality in 1987. Toronto filmmaker Norman Jewison (1926-2024), founder of the Canadian Film Centre, made the estate the Centre’s permanent home. Since 1988, they have delivered advanced training in film, television and screen acting to more than 2,000 creators from across Canada.

The Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre is a new, state-of-the-art recreation facility that opened in June 2020. It is a beautiful, universally accessible site with great views inside and out. Through consultations, the community had a big say in what they wanted to see featured in the building. Today, it is the place to be.

Estonian Museum Canada presents its home, Tartu College, as part of Doors Open Toronto 2025. Built in 1970, the college is known mostly as a student residence. But, for local Estonians, it is one of their most important cultural community centres, featuring diverse and lively programs. Their collection has grown into what is now the largest Estonian-themed collection outside Estonia.

Built in the 1890s as a Foresters' Hall, this building served as home to Toronto’s first English-speaking Mennonite congregation. The First Narayever congregation, founded in 1914, bought the building in 1943, It has been an orthodox synagogue ever since, evolving into the egalitarian-traditional congregation it is today. From 2020-23, the shul completed a major renovation, making the building fully accessible.

Ukrainian immigrants bought land in Kensington Market to build a synagogue. Completed in 1927, Kiever Synagogue’s exterior features twin-domed towers crowned with stars of David and two main staircase entrances. The interior includes a hand-carved Torah ark, paintings of biblical animals and signs of the zodiac. In 1979, the Kiever became the first building of Jewish significance to be designated.

The Potter's Studio, established in 1972, has been a major contributor to the ceramic community in Toronto with workshops and classes. It recently relocated to this Scarborough location. Come and visit the large, bright, airy studio and experience the potting process — from wheel throwing and hand-building to glazing and firing pots. Warning: Some visitors may find this craft addictive.

Osgoode Hall — home of the Law Society of Ontario and the highest courts of the province — opened in 1832 and remains a Toronto landmark and symbol of the law in Ontario. The 1867 fence, renowned for its peculiar gates, surrounds the property and its landscaped grounds. Download the self-guided tour or speak with the knowledgeable volunteers. (No tripods allowed.)

Archival records and photographs are on display at the Scarborough Archives. The archives contain documents, photographs, maps, cemetery records and a collection of local community histories. Located inside the former W.J. Morrish General Store, it is also the home of the Scarborough Historical Society, which helps to promote, preserve and stimulate an interest in the history of Scarborough.

The Redwood Theatre is one of Toronto's remaining original vaudeville theatres, and continues to operate as a multidisciplinary arts and entertainment venue focusing on music and circus. It is also an arts and innovation centre — supporting young artists in developing careers and presenting their work to public audiences — a professional aerial-circus training centre and a multi-use entertainment space.

For more than 60 years, The Village at Black Creek has enabled Torontonians to explore the past and reflect on the present. With 40 historical buildings, 60 rare- and heritage-breed animals, six gardens growing flowers and plants from heirloom seeds, and one-of-a-kind programs that engage people of all ages, there’s something for everyone. Costumed historians will help explain it all.

Established in 1874, St. Thomas's Anglican Church was one of Canada’s earliest Anglo-Catholic parishes, known for its liturgical and musical traditions. The congregation moved into the present building in 1893. Architectural highlights include the hammerbeam roof, the stunning reredos with its hand-carved statues, the octagonal First World War baptistery and the magnificent stained-glass windows by England’s Bromsgrove Guild.

401 Richmond is a heritage-designated industrial building turned arts-and-culture hub. The building was originally constructed in several phases between 1899 and 1923 for the Macdonald Manufacturing Company. It operated as a tin factory, best known for its lithographic work. That artistic lineage is still seen today with a community of nearly 150 artists, cultural producers, non-profits and micro-enterprises. (Photo: Vik Pahwa)

Constructed in 1912 for the Consumers Gas Corporation, this site welcomes visitors during Doors Open to learn about the activities and services that the city’s Transportation Division provides. Go behind the yard doors to explore traffic signs, road maintenance equipment and the salt storage area. Or see and learn about various service vehicles – including street sweepers, flushers and more.

Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum was established and developed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution made by Muslim civilizations to world heritage. Through permanent and temporary exhibitions, see how cultures connect with one another. During Doors Open, enjoy special tours, activities and performances throughout the museum and its adjacent park.

Akin Davisville is a workspace for more than 60 artists — including painters, ceramicists, photographers, writers, textile artists and more. The building comprises three floors, which are divided into individual studio spaces and shared co-working areas. Opened in January 2024, this is one of many locations managed by Akin — a Toronto-based, artist-run community organization providing studio space throughout the city.

All Ours Studios has converted a stand-alone warehouse and retrofitted eight shipping containers to host private art-production spaces and shared community space. Each container features a full glass façade that is insulated, drywalled and powered to be warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. The site also has a communal tool-use workshop, gardens, courtyards and test-out mural walls.

The Allan I. Carswell Astronomical Observatory is located on York University's Keele Campus. It originally opened in 1969. The observatory owns two telescopes housed in separate domes: a 60-centimetre (24-inch) Cassegrain reflector and a one-metre (39-inch) custom-built telescope — the largest at a university in Canada. Come and discover the research that happens here and learn about being an astronomer.

Alliance Française was founded in Paris, France, in 1883 by Louis Pasteur, Ferdinand de Lesseps and Jules Verne. It was established in Toronto in 1902. Alliance Française Toronto embodies the modern values of humanism with a respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. Now the largest French-language school in Canada, it offers many classes and presents over 100 events a year.