This tour of four Doors Open Toronto venues incorporates not only information about the sites visited, but also nearby or associated developments of interest to UrbanToronto readers. With so much activity going on in this city, the connections are almost everywhere!

The Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen's Park Crescent

The Gardiner Museum is situated directly across from the ROM at 111 Queen's Park Crescent. The museum's founders, George and Helen Gardiner, established the museum in 1984 as a place to display their large collection of ceramic art and artefacts from around the world.

The current building opened in 2006 and was designed in a modernist architectural style by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects. This expanded the museum by 14,000 square feet, including more exhibit rooms, event space and educational facilities. The museum offers lectures, clay moulding classes and culinary series in addition to its collections.

This is the façade and front entrance to the Gardiner.

Gardiner Museum image by Michael Batt

A view of the Gardiner's large third floor event space as seen from one of the museum's patios. This space also houses a restaurant, Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner.

Gardiner Museum image by Michael Batt

In this shot, the ROM and its expansion, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is visible from the Gardiner's patio. Lanterra and KPMB's One Bedford can be seen in the background. 

Gardiner Museum image by Michael Batt

Queen's Park, 111 Wellesley Street West

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, known as Queen's Park, is the seat of the provincial government. The building dates from 1893 and was designed by British-born American architect Richard Waite in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. This architectural style is named after American architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and is common among late 19th and early 20th century government buildings and churches in North America.

Queen's Park image by Michael Batt

The east wing of Queen's Park houses the offices of the Cabinet and other government MPPs.

Queen's Park image by Michael Batt

The Chamber is where the government and opposition parties debate legislation and other provincial matters.  The gallery (upper left corner) is open to the public for those interested in a little political theatre. The government sits on the left of the Chamber in this image and the opposition parties on the right. Can you see the little Ontario flag in the front row of the governnment side? That is were the premier sits.

Queen's Park image by Michael Batt

Entrance to the legislative library at Queen's Park.

Queen's Park, image by Michael Batt

The west wing of Queen's Park.

Queen's Park, image by Michael Batt

The 66-storey Living Shangri-La Toronto by Westbank Corp, James Cheng and Hariri Pontarini Architects is visible in the distance in this shot from the front lawn of Queen's Park.

Living Shangri-la Toronto from Queen's Park, image by Michael Batt

MaRS Discovery District, 101 College Street

MaRS opened in 2005 after renovations and additions by Adamson Associates Architects were made to the existing Toronto General Hospital building, which was originally designed in the 1910s by Darling and Pearson. it now houses 750,000 square feet of technology industry research space. 

MaRS, image by Michael Batt

MaRS, image by Michael Batt

MaRS, image by Michael Batt

MaRS Centre Phase 2 is under construction and the work underway can be seen in this shot from inside the existing MaRS building's west side. 

MaRS Centre Phase 2 construction, image by Michael Batt

Mars Centre Phase 2 is designed by Alexandria and Bregman & Hamann Architects, and will be 20-storeys when completed in the fall of 2013. It will primarly serve as research and development laboratory and office space.

MaRS Centre Phase 2 construction, image by Michael Batt

Lanterra Developments and architectsAlliance's Burano (left) and Murano condos are located just a few blocks away from MaRS and dominate the view from MaRS' front door.  

Burano & Murano as seen from MaRS image by Michael Batt

Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre, 585 Dundas Street East

Regent Park's massive redevelopment includes not only new housing for the neighbourhood's low-income residents (as well as market-value units), but also a host of other area amenities. Designed by Diamond & Schmitt Architects in partnership with Daniels Corporation, Artscape and Toronto Community Housing, the Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre includes indoor and outdoor performance venues, dance studios, a cafe, and will be home to community and educational organizations, such as the Centre for Social Innovation, the Collective of Black Artists (COBA), and the Regent Park School of Music. The project is expected to be complete by September 2012.

Below is a shot of the east side of the Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre.

Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre, image by Michael Batt

The indoor performance venue will hold up to 400 spectators and is equipped with a catwalk and ceiling girders strong enough to suspend a car from.

Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre image by Michael Batt

The light-filled cafe will be outfitted with reclaimed wood from Regent Park trees removed during the revitalization project.

Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre, image by Michael Batt

Attached to the Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre is the 26-storey Paintbox Condos. Both buildings are being constructed simultaneously by the same developers and architects. 

Paintbox Condos, image by Michael Batt

Related Companies:  architects—Alliance, B+H Architects, Baker Real Estate Incorporated, CCxA, Diamond Schmitt Architects, entro, Hariri Pontarini Architects, Isotherm Engineering Ltd., Janet Rosenberg & Studio, LRI Engineering Inc., NAK Design Strategies, Trillium Architectural Products