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.

In 1765, British naval craftsmen from Fort Niagara erected a barracks on the opposite side of the Niagara River. Over the years, several buildings – known collectively as Navy Hall – evolved into a key military supply facility for British forts on the upper Great Lakes. During the American Revolution, the Provincial Marine wintered at Navy Hall and, in 1792, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe converted one of the buildings into his residence. The Lieutenant Governor's home in the first capital of the Province of Upper Canada later served as a dining hall for the officers at Fort George. Navy Hall was destroyed by American forces during the War of 1812. After the war, the British rebuilt some of the buildings, of which one still survives today. As part of Digital Doors Open, you can learn more about this site’s remarkable history through the video below.

Where nature meets history! The O’Hara legacy began in 1789 when Patrick O'Hara arrived from Ireland and busied himself with starting a sawmill and creating a thriving homestead. Today, the O’Hara Mill Homestead is an opportunity to relive the day-to-day hardships and rewards of early pioneer life. Come and explore the restored original farmhouse, sawmill, carriage-house, shed and woodworking shop.

The Oriental Hotel was built in the 1890s to serve the village of Castleton, which was the township seat and a principal crossroads of agriculture. As well as the usual hotel services, it has housed a doctor’s office, the library and a branch of the Imperial Bank of Commerce. A family called Wolfraim owned and managed the hotel from 1903 to 1986, while another member of the same family owned the Brunswick Hotel on King Street in Colborne. As part of Digital Doors Open, learn more about this site through the video below.

Built in 2011, the design of the Ottawa Humane Society celebrates its strong community values and commitment to the animals. The Shirley Kearns Memorial Adoption Centre was built to provide easy viewing and visiting of animals available for adoption. In the adoption centre, cats, dogs and small animals are housed in separate areas with rooms and enclosures designed to meet the animals’ daily needs. The education centre – a large, open, naturally lit room – hosts a variety of workshops and camps to teach pet owners about responsible pet ownership and animal welfare. In a modern clinic facility, veterinarians provide regular and emergency medical treatment for animals in shelter care. The clinic includes a critical care unit for Ottawa’s neediest animals, an X-ray room and surgery theatre. Before animals are ready for adoption, they are housed in the holding area. Holding is set up with high-volume/high-changeover air handling systems and full sanitary and wash-down facilities to provide maximum sanitation and to prevent the spread of disease. Administration is adjacent to the adoption centre and holding area to allow ease of access for staff and volunteers to the animal areas. The interconnected design promotes a strong connection between staff of various departments, volunteers and the public. During Digital Doors Open, take a virtual tour of the site and learn more about the important work that they do.

Some of the finest homes in Ingersoll can be found on Oxford Street. We invite you to get out of your vehicle, stretch your legs and marvel at the magnificent mansions along this tree-lined route. With this self-guided walking tour, thanks to the Ingersoll Public Library, you can explore the architecture – and the people – from Ingersoll’s past.

Come and visit this plaza during Doors Open Ottawa. Construction is underway to restore and modernize the Centre Block and advance construction of Canada’s new Parliament Welcome Centre. Though the Centre Block is currently closed, visitors during Doors Open can view a special exhibit featuring videos, images and information about the design plans for the building and the Parliamentary Precinct.

The earliest mention of Castleton occurs when Joseph A. Keeler (1788-1855), the founder of Colborne and son of the original settler of the township, built a mill there around 1806. In that year, Keeler would have been 18 — young to be in the building business. But this goes to show his ingenuity and pioneer spirit. At first, the settlement was known as Piper’s Corners, given its location on Piper’s Creek, then Centreville and later the British-sounding name of Castleton was adopted. In 1875, Samuel L. Purdy purchased the mill, built the adjacent Gothic farmhouse in 1880, and his family lived there and operated the mill until 1948. As part of Digital Doors Open, learn more about this site through the video below.

The Red Sky Métis Independent Nation (RSMIN) are descendants of the original French voyageurs who settled in the area and the Indigenous women they married. Specifically, they are composed of the descendants of those 84 Métis recognized by the Crown as beneficiaries and annuitants under the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. RSMIN are culturally distinct from the First Nations people, holding their own traditions, customs and practices. The history of the RSMIN dates back to as early as 1506. As part of Digital Doors Open, through the video below, the RSMIN shares with us their traditional knowledge of preparing birch tea. Birch tea has anti-inflammatory and medicinal properties to it. Different parts of the birch tree found in the Thunder Bay region have been used for centuries for the preparation of this tea.

Join this unique tour of Belleville sites that have had new power systems installed and learn more about these renewable power sources – such as solar panels and new power systems. We start with the Meyers Pier and the Water Treatment Plant, which boast rooftop solar panels. Next is the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, which has both an extensive solar rooftop array as well as power converters that send AC back to the grid. In addition, the Centre uses Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems – which produce both electricity and heat from a single fuel source onsite. In addition to reducing emissions, CHP systems also improve energy efficiency (up to 90 per cent in some locations), which also means lower costs. Finally, check out Belleville Transit, the Sewage Plant and the City of Belleville’s Human Resources building for more examples of renewable power sources. Learn more about CHP systems here. And, as part of Digital Doors Open, explore these sites – with their aerial views and photos.

Here stands the eight-sided house constructed by Reuben Bartlett Scott on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Huyck in 1850. Scott was an industrious young man who operated a grist mill, a soap factory, an iron foundry and an evaporator. He clearly espoused the theories of Ogden Squire Fowler — the American eccentric who touted the virtues of an eight-sided house versus a square house, which had corners that were thought to be “intrinsically evil.” Scott and his wife had 12 children and their descendants still live in the area. As part of Digital Doors Open, learn more about this house in the video below.

Waterloo Region has had, over the past 150 years, sightings of two so-called river monsters. Join us as we explore these Loch Ness Monster-like creatures that are part of the region’s history. Sightings of the infamous Nithy of the Nith River were reported in newspapers throughout Ontario in the 1950s. The lesser-known Doon Monster of the Grand River bubbled up a century before. Both of these river monsters generated a groundswell of interest that united and divided neighbours in a wave of debate about con versus phenomenon. As part of Digital Doors Open, the video below begins at what is today the Homer Watson House & Gallery, where a young Homer Watson is regaled with tales of when the sea serpent came to Doon in 1857. In 1929, he shares these stories with a local newspaper, and that article becomes the starting point for this local legend.

This year, the people of Sacred Heart Church are unable to provide in-person tours of this beautiful Gothic-style church. But they invite you to enjoy this virtual tour (see video below) and learn more of the history of the building. Erected in 1880 after a design by architect George Durant, this place of worship includes original stained-glass windows by Robert McCausland, ornate sculptures, vaulted ceilings and more.

The Senate of Canada Building is full of history, art, architecture and parliamentary treasures. It is the Senate’s temporary home in downtown Ottawa, while its permanent home (the Centre Block building with the Peace Tower) is closed for major rehabilitation work. Over the years, this building has hosted many important national events (the repatriation of the Canadian constitution) and has served many different functions (it opened in 1912 as a train station). Today, as the temporary home of the Senate, you can explore – through this virtual tour – where the Senate works.

The old county courthouse was built at the corner of James and King streets in 1849. Three years later, town council approved putting a clock into the tower. The clock remains a working engineering marvel and is one of the many landmarks from St. Catharines’ past. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below to learn more about the history of the clock. Today, the courthouse is used by the City of St. Catharines as municipal offices.

The shorelines of the Lakehead have been populated with elevators since the early 1880s, with the construction of Port Arthur’s King Elevator beginning in 1883. The grain industry fuelled much of the development of the twin cities, with the first elevators being built by the Canadian Pacific Railway at Fort William in 1885. Construction of grain elevators proceeded so rapidly that Fort William was called “Elevator City” during the early 20th century. Today, there are seven operational grain terminals at the Port of Thunder Bay. One of these is the Superior Elevator. Grain arrives here by rail where it is offloaded, inspected, cleaned (if needed) and stored until its journey continues east by ship. Watch the video below to see this terminal in operation and learn more about its role in transporting grain to market.

Reputed to be among the oldest dwellings in Colborne, this was the home of Scottish immigrant John Steele and his wife Mary Spalding from 1831-43. Some feel that the house pre-dates 1820 because of a letter from Mary Spalding arranging for a housemaid. Steele, a founder of Queen’s University, held many other posts — including a magistrate, a newspaper man, a member of the local Board of Education, and with various agricultural societies. In 1843, the Steeles moved to Grafton and sold their house to Cuthbert Cumming. Cumming in turn sold it in 1858 to the Scougale family, who lived there for over 100 years, next door to their haberdashery business. As part of Digital Doors Open, learn more about this house in the video below.

The United States has had an official diplomatic presence in Canada since 1827. Built in 1969, the current building creates a bridge between places, peoples and ideas. Symbolizing a bridge, the building stands for partnership and alliance. As a work of architecture, the magnificence of the building is indicative of the significant relationship that the United States has with Canada.

The Barrie Historical Archive’s new, interactive walking tour explores downtown Barrie in a whole new way – revealing a surprising number of historical hotels and sites that have catered to railway and lumber workers, politicians and tourists since the 1800s. For Digital Doors Open, follow along with local historian and storyteller Mary Harris in the video below as she describes the history, colourful proprietors, scandals, fights, grand events and unusual guests from years gone by.

The Belleville Wastewater Treatment Plant is located by the Bay of Quinte in Belleville’s east end. It deals with wastewater that goes down drains in our homes, public buildings and commercial facilities. Wastewater travels through the city’s sanitary sewer system to the Water Pollution Control Plant at the same complex. Wastewater then goes through an extensive treatment process and is returned to the Bay of Quinte. Biosolids are used as fertilizer for agricultural purposes. As of 2020, city water staff have been testing a new odour-control product to break down and control sulfur compounds that can fill the autumn air surrounding the city’s wastewater treatment plant. A storm sewer is a pipeline designed to direct stormwater to a stormwater management pond or receiving stream or body of water. Stormwater is rainfall and melting snow that soaks into the ground or runs off surfaces into storm sewers and nearby waterways. As part of Digital Doors Open, learn more about this treatment plant here.

Olivetti. Olympia. Remington. Royal. Smith-Corona. Underwood. Typewriters are enjoying a big revival and Waterloo resident Currie Russell is swept up in the nostalgia revolution. What began as a pandemic passion project has evolved into a thriving side-hustle for this Waterloo collector. Russell is one of a handful of people in Ontario currently equipped to buy, sell and repair these majestic machines, but he is also part of a global movement spanning all corners of the planet where enthusiasts are connecting to share knowledge and learning that will keep these vintage marvels alive for others to discover into the future. Learn more about these machines and about Russell's passion as part of Digital Doors Open through the video below.