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Doors Open Toronto’s annual May event puts a wide range of buildings and landmarks on display, offering rare access for just two days a year. The Toronto event is one of many such events under the umbrella of Doors Open Ontario which occur annually in about three dozen regions and municipalities across the province. Several of those are in the Greater Toronto Area, and seven events are set to take place next month: sites will open for free touring in Mississauga, Grimsby, Markham, Ajax, Burlington, Oshawa, and Halton Region in September.
First up is Mississauga where 15 different sites — including parks, cultural facilities, and private businesses — will open on September 8th. A few standouts on this list include the new Danville Park at 6525 Danville Road, where visitors will find an airplane viewing platform. The aerospace theme is also present at Paul Coffey Park (formerly Wildwood Park) at 3372-3378 Derry Road East, which is home to an Avro Canada CF-100 “Canuck” aircraft. Another site carrying on the theme is MHI Canada Aerospace Inc. at 6390 Northwest Drive. Here, guided tours will be offered, showing off the state-of-the-art manufacturing and assembly facility for Bombardier Challenger and Global business jets.
Two weekends later, Markham will be hosting its Doors Open event on September 22nd from 10 AM to 4 PM. 18 different sites will be available to the public, including the striking Wong Dai Sin Temple at 378 Steeles Avenue East, a 2015-built Taoist temple, designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. Other sites offer a look into Markham's heritage, including the 1870-built Markham Village Train Station at 214 Main Street North.
Around the lake to the south, the town of Grimsby is also hosting its Doors Open celebration on September 22nd from 10 AM to 4 PM, offering access to 12 sites, including a classic car show and activities in the downtown core. A couple notable sites include the 1905-built Elizabeth Street Pumphouse at 477 Elizabeth Street, as well as a Class 3 anaerobic digester at 424 Sobie Road with a capacity of 1,000 kilowatts of electricity, all produced from farm waste.
The following weekend, on September 29th, Doors Open will return to a few more municipalities.
A few kilometres east of Toronto, Ajax is offering 11 sites available from 10 AM to 4 PM. Among the sites included in this year's event is the Ajax Operations and Environmental Services Centre at 800 Salem Road North, a LEED-registered 5,110-square-metre (55,000-square-foot) facility, opened in 2010.
Oshawa's September 29th event features 23 locations this year, covering religious institutions, cemeteries, gardens, and more. Notable stops this year include the 2010-built, WZMH Architects-designed Durham Regional Consolidated Courthouse at 150 Bond Street East, and the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel at 2000 Simcoe Street North, a testing chamber for automotive, aerospace, and athletic endurance.
Burlington's September 29th event will include a dozen locations including public buildings, cultural institutions, and private businesses. One of the highlights is expected to be the 1906-built Freeman Station at 1285 Fairview Street. This Grand Trunk Railway station was relocated from the hamlet of Freeman to the current property in September 2013.
All of Halton Region will be participating on September 29th, with sites in the towns of Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills open on September 30th as well. This adds 35 sites to the 12 Saturday-only sites mentioned above in Burlington, for a total of 47. Notable stops this year include the 2014-built Mattamy National Cycling Centre at 2015 Pan Am Boulevard in Milton, home to cycling events during the 2015 Pan Am Games. Another important stop for transit enthusiasts is the Halton County Radial Railway Museum at 13629 Guelph Line in Milton (September 30th only).
You can learn more about the various locations included in this year's Doors Open Ontario by visiting the event's site. Excited about a specific location offered this year? Let us know in the comments section provided below.
