FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 30, 2020

 Doors Open Guelph is an all-ages citywide celebration of Guelph's special places - often hidden gems - and rich cultural history. Hosted annually by Guelph Arts Council since 2002, Doors Open Guelph showcases local businesses, remarkable homes, and feats of creativity and engineering. Each year Guelph proudly kicks off Doors Open Ontario's province-wide season.

 

The 2020 event will take place on Saturday, April 25, from 10 am to 4 pm. Site details are listed below, and will be posted with event updates on guelpharts.ca.

Launching the weekend, Doors Open After Dark will celebrate Guelph’s 193rd birthday with big, bold, innovative history and art activations at and around the Civic Museum from 5 p.m. April 24 to 1 a.m. April 25. This free event aims to create opportunities to connect, explore and engage the community with history in unique ways. Historians and artists of all disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals for activations that explore Guelph’s history and identity through themes of reconciliation, diversity, landscape, culture, innovation, and environment. 

Submissions are due March 8.

Doors Open Ontario’s 2020 theme is Environment, which will be reflected in Guelph at specific sites, including Sleeman Breweries, Campus Co-op Commons, Gurdwara, and The Junction. This year’s event will also offer visitors several active outdoor opportunities to connect with Guelph’s culture and heritage. These experiences are presented in partnership with Trails Open, City of Guelph, and Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation.

Doors Open Guelph attracts an average of 6,000 people to its sites each year, 25-40% of whom are visitors to the city. Doors Open Guelph’s success is due to the enthusiasm and hard work of volunteers who serve as site captains, tour guides, sweeps, greeters, counters, researchers, Steering Committee members and more. Join us as a volunteer and help make Doors Open Guelph a true community celebration. If you’re interested in lending a hand please sign up online or contact Fan-Ling Suen at programs@guelpharts.ca or 519-836-3280.

Guelph Arts Council thanks its event partners, including City of Guelph, Guelph Museums, Ontario Heritage Trust, Downtown Guelph Business Association, Sleeman Breweries, University of Guelph – Gryphon Football, SV Law, Granite Homes/The Junction, eMERGE Guelph, all participating sites, and its Steering Committee and event volunteers. Sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting Patti Broughton at executivedirector@guelpharts.ca or 519-836-3280.

 

_ Zone A – University Hill

 

Gryphon Football Pavilion

15 Lang Way, University of Guelph

Home to the Gryphon Football team, the pavilion is a stunning modern building designed for the players’ training, education and leisure. It features original art, intriguing graphics, outstanding training facilities and a unique locker room, all sporting the red and black team colours. Large viewing areas open on to the redesigned field. 

Event Sponsor: University of Guelph – Gryphon Football

 

The President’s House, University of Guelph

100 College Avenue East

Built in 1882 by local stone masons on the current site of Creelman Hall, the house was the President’s residence, 1828 - 1984. In 1912, the house was jacked up and moved across College Avenue to make way for Creelman. Now used for entertaining, it contains an outstanding collection of furniture and Canadian art. 

Sponsored by SV Law

 

Campus Co-op Commons

1 Hales Crescent (Borden St. Entrance)

Campus Co-op Commons fights climate change with a passive solar design, rainwater collection, and "living roof". Attention to detail and thermal bridging makes it an example of how to build it right. The Co-op and eMERGE Guelph partner to make this a quick course on energy and water conservation.

Co-presented with eMERGE Guelph

 

 

Hammond Radio Museum

595 Southgate Drive

Established in 1982 by Fred Hammond, one of the founding members of Guelph’s Hammond Manufacturing, the Radio Museum houses an extensive collection of rare and historically significant pieces. The 2000+ items exhibited illustrate the development of radio throughout the past 100 years. Included are crystal radios, early tabletop and broadcast, early wireless, military and amateur radio equipment. 

 

Gurdwara – Guelph Sikh Society

410 Clair Road West

The temple is an impressive example of modern architecture built to inspire its worshippers with soaring curved staircases, large skylights, marble walls, open spaces, and colourful banners. The building also features a school, a hall for events, meeting spaces, and a kitchen. Tours will explain the Sikh religion and practices in the context of the new building.

 

Sleeman Breweries

551 Clair Road West

John H. Sleeman founded his brewery in Guelph in 1834 and began a dynasty whose descendants were a storied part of Guelph history. Today’s modern brewery building showcases not only the beer brewing process and its sustainable practices, it also tells the history of the Sleeman family through the memorabilia displayed in the Hospitality Room.

Event Sponsor: Sleeman Breweries

 

The Junction

5-7-9 Edinburgh Road

A mixed-use development on a site important to Guelph’s railway history. The former CN Rail warehouse is now a stunning showroom for Granite Homes. The new building echoes its style and houses innovative co-working offices, Home Group Realty and the Abe Erb Brewing Company. All buildings feature unique railway décor and art to reflect the site’s heritage.

 Sponsored by Granite Homes/The Junction

 

Hope House and Lakeside Downtown

75 Norfolk Street

The Wesleyan Methodist Church, Guelph’s oldest stone church, was built in 1855 and extensively renovated in 1876. After Church union in 1925, Norfolk Street United Church worshipped in the building until its sale to Lakeside Church in 2012. Hope House offers a food market, clothing bureau and a café to help those in need in the downtown core.

 

The Bell-Kennedy House

193 Woolwich Street

Built in 1901, this stately Edwardian house reflects its first owner, Edith Bell Kennedy. The elegant interior features an etched glass fleur de lis on its front door, an original oak staircase, ornate plaster ceilings and a painted-glass window featuring Othello and Desdemona. Beautifully restored by Bill Mactaggart, the house is now the offices of Richardson GMP Ltd. 

 

Bisson Dentistry

199 Woolwich Street

This John Hall designed house built in 1874 of red brick with white quoins has an elaborate outer door with beautiful glass, a miniature hallway and an impressive inner door. The ornate curved staircase leads to the recently renovated upper level. The dental practice rooms on the main floor feature original crown mouldings, ceiling medallions, and fireplaces.

 Doors Open Guided Outdoor Experiences

The Rectory and Catholic Hill

28 Norfolk Street

Guided outdoor walks. Meeting location and times will be announced.

The restoration of the Rectory, built in 1852, surprised the community with its rendered stone exterior instead of the expected limestone walls. It now contains residences for the priests and a new office. Visitors will experience a guided walk around the Rectory and the rest of Catholic Hill to hear the stories of Guelph’s most prominent landscape and buildings.

 

Doors Open 2020 will include other walking and cycling tours, presented in partnership with Trails Open, Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation, and City of Guelph. Details will be announced, and posted at guelpharts.ca.

 

About Guelph Arts Council: For over forty years, Guelph Arts Council has been dedicated to supporting, stimulating and promoting arts and culture in Guelph. Guelph Arts Council is funded in part by The Guelph Community Foundation and City of Guelph. We also acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

 

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