Honorable Mention – Doors Open Ontario
Each summer my wife and I visit various locations made open to the public by Doors Open Ontario. As stated on their web site, “Every year, Doors Open Ontario attracts large crowds across Ontario. From April to October, residents and visitors are invited to discover first-hand Ontario’s hidden heritage treasures, some of which have never been open to the public.” It is a great opportunity to take pictures of places you may not otherwise get access to.
Every year they have a photo contest you can enter by simply uploading your photos to their Flickr account. This year I am honoured to have received honourable mention in the objects category for two photos I took at the Schnurr General Store in Linwood. The bike and the skates are two of the numerous objects the general store has on display representing it’s rich history in the town of Linwood.
Schnurr General Store bike
Schnurr General Store skates
Doors Open – Owen Sound
Every year from May to October, communities across the province open the doors to hundreds of historical buildings, places of worship, museums, private homes, industrial areas, green buildings, heritage gardens and other interesting venues – some of which are rarely accessible to the public. Many of the participating sites offer special activities, such as tours, exhibitions and demonstrations – all free of charge!
In the past we have enjoyed Doors Open Waterloo Region so this year we plan on exploring what other communities have to offer. Check out their web site for a list of participating communities. http://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/
Last weekend we travelled up to Owen Sound Ontario to see what they had to offer for Doors Open – Owen Sound. Our first stop was the old Owen Sound Filtration Plant located in the Inglis Falls Conservation Area. Built between 1910 and 1912 this concrete structure is 160 feet by 160 feet (48 meters by 48 meters). Water from the Sydenham River was diverted into the plant and filtered by gravity through layers of sand and gravel. Click this link http://www.greysauble.on.ca/ca_lands/inglisfalls.html for a more indepth description.
Water Filtration Plant Owen Sound
Cleaning the Filter System:
The process of cleaning the water filters was labour intensive, involving washing the top layer of sand. It took six men two days to clean one filter. Three men would skim the sand, two men would run wheelbarrows to the door where another man loaded the sand into a sand washer. The washer was filled with water and the sand was pumped under 110 pounds of pressure and sprayed out a fire hose which ended in a ¾” nozzle. The clean sand was deposited on a large cement pad outside the filters and then replaced by filling wheelbarrows and dumping the sand through the manholes in the roof of the filters. This process had to be done every two to three months, less frequently in the winter. Near the end of its use, the filters had to be cleaned very two to three weeks because of degrading water quality.
Water Filtration Plant Owen Sound – Showing the manholes where clean sand was dumped back into the plant.
This is the room with the valve controls and where they would add Chlorine as required.
Water Filtration Plant Control room Owen Sound
Doors Open Waterloo Region – CIGI Campus
The Centre for International Governance Innovation Waterloo
We arrived at our 9th and final Doors Open Waterloo Region site shortly before 4:oo pm giving us just enough time to grab a few photo’s and talk with the hosts. As stated on their web site “The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, non-partisan think tank on international governance. CIGI’s research programs focus on four themes: the global economy; global security; the environment and energy; and global development.”
Again from their site: “A public art installation in the CIGI Campus courtyard, designed by Rhode Island artist Richard Fleischner, features copper markers signifying 19 moments of progress in international governance. The markers have been placed by geographical location onto an unseen map of the world. These events have significantly shaped how individuals and nation-states interact with one another. They were chosen based on their impact on international governance, not just at the moment in time, but in the grander sweep of history.”
The picture above I took in September of 2011 and the rest in the Gallery below I took the day of the tour.
Click on an image below to see larger
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- CIGI Water Abstract
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation – Water Feature in Court Yard
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation – Public Art Installation
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation – Public Art Installation
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation Interior View
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation – Interior view
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation – Office corridor
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- The Centre for International Governance Innovation – Exterior view
So this wraps up the our Doors Open Waterloo Region Tour. I hoped you enjoyed the ride and for those of you in the region – why not join the fun next year!. I hope you will continue to follow my posts as I photograph this wonderful Global Village we live in.
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Doors Open Waterloo Region – The Waterloo Hotel
The Waterloo Hotel – Waterloo Ontario
The Waterloo Hotel was stop number 8 of our Doors Open Waterloo Region Tour. The front part of this building was completed in 1890 so it has been a prominent feature in Waterloo for some time. The building was purchased by the Webers in January of 1997 after it sat vacant for 7 years. It has been painstakingly restored to its Victorian past with modern comforts. The wonderful thing about this tour is finding these treasures that we were unaware of before.
Click on the images to see larger
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- The Waterloo Hotel – Guest Room
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- The Waterloo Hotel – Stair Case
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- The Waterloo Hotel – Main Staircase
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- The Waterloo Hotel – Waterloo Ontario
Next will be the final stop on the tour which took us right to closing time. Stay Tuned!
Doors Open Waterloo Region – The Old Button Factory
The Old Button Factory Waterloo
The Old Button Factory in Waterloo was our 7th stop on the Doors Open Waterloo Region Tour. Built in 1886 it was home to the buttom manufacturing company of Richard Roschman & Brothers. In 1982 the city of Waterloo designated the building as an architecturally significant and historical landmark. Today it is home to The Waterloo Community Arts Centre offering classes, workshops, and a wide variety of exhibits, performances, and demonstrations to encourage growth in community art.
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- The Old Button Factory Window
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- Large format camera in The Old Button Factory
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- The Old Button Factory Studio B
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- The Old Button Factory Interior
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- The Old Button Factory – Doors Open
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- The Old Button Factory Waterloo
The Button Factory gives artists a unique space to work out of. Check what they have to offer at their web site. http://www.buttonfactoryarts.ca/index.html
Doors Open Waterloo Region – Hillcrest House
Hillcrest House
Our 6th stop on the Doors Open Waterloo Region Tour was Hillcrest House. Built in 1882 by Theodore Bellinger this 130 year old house is lovingly cared for by the Schusters and operates as a unique Bed and Breakfast in the heart of Uptown Waterloo. Find out more about this B&B at their website http://www.hillcresthouse.ca
Next stop is another old building in Waterloo with an interesting manufacturing history. Stay tuned!
Click on a picture to see larger
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- Hillcrest House Bedroom Suite
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- Hillcrest House Fire Place
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- Hillcrest House Dinning Room
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- Hillcrest House Kitchen
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- Hillcrest House Bay Window
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- Hillcrest House
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- Hillcrest House
Doors Open Waterloo Region – St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Waterloo
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Sanctuary Altar
Our 5th stop on the Doors Open Waterloo Region tour was St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Willow Street in Waterloo. This church was build in 1962 after a devastating fire destroyed an earlier one. The congregation is well established in Waterloo, celebrating it’s 175th anniversary this year.
The church features a magnificent vaulted ceiling, many stain glass windows made from imported glass, and pipe organ.
The modern interior is a interesting contrast to the mid 20th century Gothic exterior.
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- St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Sanctuary Rear Loft
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- St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Sanctuary Altar
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- St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Sanctuary Altar
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- St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Exterior
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- St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Exterior
This beautiful church is well worth a visit if you get a chance.
Last time I said the next post was going to be a 130 year old house but I got ahead of myself on the tour as this church was our 5th stop. So now that we are back on track the next post will be the 130 year old house. Stay Tuned!
Doors Open Waterloo Region – St. John Lutheran Church Wellesley Township
St. John Lutheran Church Wellesley Township
Our second stop on the Doors Open Waterloo Region tour was St. John Lutheran Church in Wellesley Township. Designated an historic site in 2003 this little church on a hill just north of the village of Bamberg was built in 1872.
St. John Lutheran Church – From the Choir Loft
There is quite a contrast between this and the first church we visited. There was a cozy peaceful atmosphere and the representatives of both congregations where equally grateful for their place of worship.
St. John Lutheran Church – Sanctuary
St. John Lutheran Church – Sanctuary
As the congregation grew older and the people moved away the congregation was no longer able to support a full time pastor and the members have joined neighbouring churches. The church has however remained open and since 1982, four special services are held every year.
St. John Lutheran Church – Harvest Home Service decorations
The next service will be their Christmas Service on December 16, 2012 at 7:00 pm and all are invited to come worship with them.
St. John Lutheran Church – Key to the Church
So after 14o years of worship the old key still operates the lock on the front door.
Our next stop takes us into the Village of Wellesley for a basement tour! Stay tuned.
Doors Open Waterloo Region – St. Clements Roman Catholic Church
Sept. 15, 2012 was the date for Doors Open Waterloo Region. Part of Doors Open Ontario it provides an opportunity to tour participating noteworthy buildings and heritage sites in Waterloo Region. This is the first year we took advantage of this and were able to visit 9 of the 37 available sites . It was hard to choose where to go so we decided to check out the villages in the townships and then head into Waterloo.
Our fist stop was St. Clements Roman Catholic Church.
St. Clement Roman Catholic Church – Front
St. Clement Roman Catholic Church – Back
From the outside it is a typical brick village church. I have driven by it many times without giving it much thought.
Inside is a different story. A visual feast of art.
St. Cement Roman Catholic Church – Interior
The walls and ceiling are covered by the intricate painting of the artist L. Scott Young. Young completed the work in 1948 and tragically died at the age of 38 in 1950 at Kitchener’s St. Mary’s Hospital following an operation for a ruptured appendix.
Depiction of the Last Supper
This depiction of the Last Supper was done on canvas and applied directly to the ceiling plaster. The ornately carved, painted, and gilt alters date from the nineteenth century and the Canadian made stain glass windows where installed between 1800 and 1900.
Statue of Christ and Mary and Stain Glass Windows
This photo shows some of the intricate painting Young achieved. The stone work around the statue and the windows is all painted on the flat walls. The mosaic tile work – all hand painted as well as the block work below. The 3D effect was quite amazing.
St. Clement Roman Catholic Church – Mary and Christ.
St. Clement Roman Catholic Church Mary and Christ
I not sure about the history behind the creation of this statue but it is a prominent feature on the side wall of the sanctuary.
This last picture is a view from the choir/organ loft.
St. Clement Roman Catholic Church – View from Choir/Organ loft.
This first stop on our tour was a pleasant surprise.
The next stop is also a church – but quite a bit different. Stay tuned!
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