Doors Open Oshawa
Doors Open Oshawa
Doors Open Oshawa is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
Buildings, locations and sites registration are now open.
Doors Open Ontario is a province-wide celebration that provides a unique opportunity to explore and enjoy sometimes hidden and always interesting places and spaces in cities across Ontario - free of charge from May to October.
The theme selected by Doors Open Ontario for 2024 is: Adaptive Reuse – showcasing heritage sites that have been repurposed to best serve their communities, while retaining their heritage attributes. Through the continued use and reuse of our historical structures, we realize their contribution to the sustainability and the economic and cultural energy of our urban and rural communities.
Explore Doors Open Ontario 2023
Doors Open Oshawa is a free annual event providing an opportunity to explore Oshawa's diverse heritage and cultural sites. Spend a day discovering local history first-hand and celebrating our community heritage. This year's theme is food and food production, don't forget to visit one of the many delicious Oshawa restaurants while you out enjoying the tour.
2023 Partner Sites:
Address: 364 Simcoe St. N.
Alexandra's Bounty Garden was created in 2016, The Garden is operated by the Oshawa & Durham Region Metis Council, to provide fresh herbs and vegetables to the community.
In 2023 volunteers showcased indigenous cultural items on-site, and presented ingredients that made a ‘Three Sisters soup’ in celebration of the event’s theme: food.
Address: 39 King St. E.
Established in 1940, Biltmore Theatre was built by the Okun Brothers of Toronto. The theatre operated as a movie theatre, nightclub, and music venue before its current state as a hall for touring concerts, special events, and community rental space. In 2023, event patrons toured the facility to taking in the rich arts and culture within the walls of this legendary building.
Address: 2000 Boundary Rd. (between Unifor/LCBO distribution plant)
Author and tour guide Lynn-Philip Hodgson provided an inside look at Camp X at Intrepid Park through an in person guided tour at this famous top-secret spy camp; opening event patron’s eyes to all this site has to offer, hidden secrets and all.
Books by tour guide and author Lynn-Philip Hodgson were available for purchase on-site.
Address: 99 Simcoe St. S.
Individuals were welcome to attend either a guided or self guided tour at this location, built in cir. 1920. This museum is home to the world's most significant collection of Canadian cars. The museum, which is located in a former 1920's auto dealership building with more than 70 vehicles on display including Lightning McQueen from Disney/Pixar's Cars 3!
Address: 61 Charles St.
This former Alger Press Building (cir. 1903) was renovated and refurbished by Ontario Tech in 2010 and is one of the University's key academic hubs. Guests were treated to facility tours every 20 minutes throughout the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. event.
Address: 919 Farewell St. S.
The City of Oshawa is proud of our glass greenhouse built in 1964, where we grow and over-winter many varieties of plants that make our City beautiful. The greenhouse consists of 4 fulltime gardeners and 12 seasonal staff. Our Gardeners take pride in design, growing and maintenance of our extraordinary gardens and were happy to open the green house doors to self-guided tours throughout the days event.
Address: 1621 Simcoe St. S.
This federal marine port in Oshawa services Ontario. The Port is one of the few cities that can boast an airport, rail lines, a deep-sea port and 400-series highway all within close proximity, offering importers and exporters a competitive edge.
Scheduled shuttle bus tours offered in 2023, gave event patrons a sneak peek into the otherwise private property, showcasing a taste of what the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (H.O.P.A) has to offer.
Address: 53 Simcoe St. N.
The Colonel R.S. McLaughlin Armoury is associated with the armoury construction program initiated by Frederick Borden. Sam Hughes, the Minister of Militia and Defense from 1911 to 1916, accelerated this program due to the threat of First World War. The design of the majority of armouries was given to his engineering services branch in order to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The Branch in turn devised a set of standard plans based on five sizes of armouries. When the First World War broke out, the armoury was used as a training and recruitment centre. Facility doors were open for self-guided tours throughout the day.
Address: 23 Lloyd St.
Patrons were offered on-site guided tours of The Islamic Centre of Oshawa, which was the first purpose-built mosque in Oshawa, which was opened to the public in early June 2012. The mosque is open to visitors throughout the year. They receive many visitors from schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions wishing to learn more about the mosque and the Islamic faith for projects and studies. Over the years, Muslims/non-Muslims have used the premises for meetings, lectures, studies, community, and educational purposes.
Address: 65 Bagot St.
Forming part of Oshawa's Civic Centre, the Library was a gift of Col. R.S. McLaughlin in 1954. Architect Arthur Eadie was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright in his design of the McLaughlin Public Library, it is our central branch. Inspired by this year’s Doors Open theme: food, the McLaughlin library offered a curated display about the history of food shopping in Oshawa.
Address: 1000 Stevenson Rd. N.
The Ontario Regiment (R.C.A.C.) Museum commemorates the history of Durham Region's very own Canadian Army unit, the Ontario Regiment (R.C.A.C.), and is home to Canada's largest collection of operational historic military vehicles. Guided and self-guided tours were available, vehicle rides were also available for an additional fee.
Address: 1450 Simcoe St. S.
Doors Open Oshawa event participants travelled back in time, taking in this Oshawa gem, built in 1840, which was the family home of Thomas Henry, a local minister, farmer, and harbourmaster. Henry House is portrayed as a period home, typical for the late 1800's. Patrons were able to tour the home and see period costumed characters including a Victorian kitchen with demonstrations throughout the day.
Address: 50 King St. E.
The Regent Theatre opened their doors to showcase the façade, built in 1919 for Famous Players theatres and has Georgian architectural lines. Patrons took in one of the City’s few remaining examples of this classically inspired style, the building reopened in 2010 as a lecture theatre for Ontario Tech University, as well as for community and cultural events.
Address: 38 Coates Rd.
Heritage Hall is a post and beam structure built using recycled timbers in the tradition of southern Ontario barns. It hosts the Maple Syrup Festival every spring, and is used for environmental education and events. Hourly tours were offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., event patrons were also welcomed to take in the grounds through a self-guided tour.
Address: 72 Queen St.
Both guided and self-guided tours were available for this, the original gallery (1969) a modernist stone structure. In 1987, Arthur Erickson designed an expansion that added 36,000 square-feet to meet the growing needs of the RMG and the community. He incorporated the original façade into his design.
Address: 66 Simcoe St. S.
Built in 1867 for a Methodist congregation, this church is a fine example of the Gothic Revival style by Gundry & Langley. Lancet-arched openings and a polygonal spire with pinnacles and dormers embellish the exterior. Event patrons toured Oshawa’s oldest existing church building. Historical displays highlighted some of congregation’s and the building’s storied past.
Photography at City of Oshawa events
The City of Oshawa hosts open, free public events. Photographers will be present taking photos and video footage at these events. These images may be used without further notification on City-owned and non-City-owned property, print media, digital media, the Internet, social media sites, media releases and broadcasts. By attending, you consent to such use.
Virtual Sites:
Oshawa Union Cemetery |
Many famous people from Oshawa's and Canada's past are interred in Oshawa Union Cemetery, formerly “Thornton's Burying Ground”. Oshawa Museum’s podcast highlights the history of the cemetery. Today, the site covers 32 acres and includes private mausoleums and a Gothic-revival chapel. The mausoleum was built in 1924 and features an ornate marble interior and hand-painted stained-glass windows. The on-line interactive map is a new, searchable resource of burials. The gravestones are of particular interest; explore the iconography or the rare White Bronze markers. Listen to a video podcast about Oshawa in the 1860’s and the story of George Prentice and the Fenian Raids. Oshawa Union Cemetery Map interactive map
Oshawa Museum podcasts
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Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens |
“Exploring the beautiful OVBG is fun and easy! You can now use you smartphone to scan QR Codes placed on signage to learn about the park, points of interest and use a navigation guide between landmarks. Durham College students designed and created an augmented reality platform as part of TeachingCity partnership with the City Of Oshawa. Visit the park, scan a QR Code and try it for yourself! Or view the virtual map. |
Trent University Durham GTA |
Trent University Durham GTA began delivering courses in 1974 at various facilities in the Oshawa community. In 2010, a standalone campus opened its doors at the site of the former St. Michael’s Catholic Elementary School on Thornton Road. An extensive renovation was undertaken to modernize the building at that time. It leveraged existing brick archways and cedar planked ceilings, which were complemented by a new modern and spacious light-filled atrium. In fall 2020, a new academic and residence building officially opened its doors. Adorned with striking copper-clad columns, state-of-the-art learning and living spaces, and wood themes that tie the two campus buildings together, this new addition to the campus continues in the University’s traditions of beautifully curated architectural features. Explore the beautiful spaces and campus amenities through the virtual tours. Trent University Durham GTA sees education unfold on a personal scale and is a close knit, scholarly community in a diverse, urban environment with a robust offering of in-demand and unique academic programs. |
Waterfront Trail |
TeachingCity Oshawa is proud to announce the launch of new interactive experience to encourage the community to get out, explore and learn!
Now people walking along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail in Oshawa can use their smartphone cameras to scan Quick Response (QR) codes placed on signage, to learn about the various parks, points of interest and amenities on the Trail, while also using a navigation guide to link you to other points of interest along the way. Durham College (DC) students in the School of Media, Art and Design researched, designed and created the interactive information portal that includes a wayfinding tool as part of a City Idea Lab course through TeachingCity Oshawa. The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail stretches 3,600 km along the Canadian shores of the Great Lakes region, and connects 155 communities, including those of the First Nations. Oshawa’s portion of the Trail stretches 11 km along the shoreline between the borders of Whitby and Clarington. This portal helps guide and inform exploration of the trail, parks, natural areas and points of interest along the way. Learn more about TeachingCity at www.teachingcityoshawa.ca |