This walking tour — led by Megan Hobson, Principal of Hobson Built Heritage Consulting — will explore adaptive reuse projects in Ancaster's historical village core. Ancaster is one of the oldest villages in Ontario and has some extraordinary pre-Confederation buildings. It has become a sought-after residential location with many striking historical buildings now enjoying new uses and showcasing new opportunities.

Join local author Bill King for a 90-minute walking tour that explores historical and architectural highlights of downtown Hamilton. You will visit buildings throughout the city’s 200-year history, as well as public spaces, art and statues, alleys and some little-known oddities. King will also share his knowledge of notable architects and other figures connected with the buildings and sites visited.

Enjoy a look inside the Ancaster Old Township Hall. Built in 1871 by William H. Thuresson, it is one of the finest pieces of stone architecture in Ancaster — complete with original apron stage, hardwood floors, arched windows and historically accurate colours. It was the first threatened heritage building in Ancaster but has been happily saved.

The Auchmar Estate is considered to be the last surviving country estate on Hamilton Mountain. It was built for the Honourable Isaac Buchanan, a local Scotsman, entrepreneur, politician and civic leader in 19th-century Canada. Visit this Gothic revival manor house and learn about its storied past before strolling the walled and landscaped grounds that surround it. No parking on site.

Balfour House is Hamilton’s last great escarpment estate. Several prominent Hamiltonians have called it home since 1836, most recently the family of St. Clair Balfour. Owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust and managed by the City of Hamilton, the building and garden are spectacular. Come and explore how this architectural gem grew from a simple homestead into a grand estate.

Barrel Heart Brewing is an upscale brewery and eatery in the old Dundas post office. The old-world brewing traditions are perfectly suited to the post office vibe. Visitors can enjoy lunch in the taproom, buy a few bottles of beer, or simply drink in the beauty of the location in a landmark Dundas building.

Battlefield House Museum, part of which dates to 1796, was once home to the prominent Gage family. Learn about the stories of the people who built the house and the ongoing efforts to preserve and restore it. Explore the Dunington Grubb landscape (which includes the impressive Battlefield Monument) and hike around a 13.8-hectare (34-acre) patchwork of meadow and forest.

The Cannon Knitting Mills — one of Hamilton’s few surviving industrial complexes — started as a foundry and became the Chipman-Holton Knitting Company in 1902, one of Hamilton’s first knitting mills. Tour the former textile production spaces that are in the process of being adapted as the Beasley Park Lofts — a restaurant, boutique hotel and residential condominiums complex.

The beaux arts-style Carnegie Library in Dundas was built in 1910. When the Hamilton Public Library stopped using the building, its future was uncertain. Taking advantage of the thriving arts community, Dundas citizens formed the Carnegie Craft Carnival Committee to raise funds for necessary building maintenance. The Carnegie Gallery was subsequently developed and has been thriving for 40 years.

The Imperial Cotton Factory, built in 1900, ran as a factory until 1972. It has been repurposed as the largest creative hub in the Hamilton area — with studios for artists, artisans, musicians, craftspeople and entrepreneurs. Film and television productions, photographers and special events are also drawn here. This is one of the best examples of adaptive reuse in Hamilton.

Dundas is a town with a thriving commercial core mixing retail, restaurants and residential uses in buildings often constructed for industrial purposes. Join historian Stan Nowak for an in-depth look at 15 historical buildings in downtown Dundas. The tour will also illustrate how we can breathe new life into a community while continuing to preserve its architectural heritage.

Opened in 1956, the Dundas Museum & Archives is a private, non-profit museum that collects, interprets and celebrates the unique identity of the Valley Town. As part of Doors Open Hamilton, they welcome the public to tour its permanent galleries. As well, you can visit the historical c. 1848 Doctor's Office and the 1873 Pirie House.

Dundurn Castle is one of the finest examples of high regency-style architecture in the country. Constructed in the 1830s for Sir Allan Napier MacNab (railway magnate, lawyer and politician), the buildings deteriorated under subsequent owners, but were restored in the 1960s to their original splendour. Today, Dundurn Castle tells the story of the MacNabs and the people who served them.

Open since 1994, ellënoire is a body and bath fragrance and curly hair shop. These unique products are made here in Dundas. The building — a beautiful Romanesque revival post office — is now home to many thriving businesses. Identified for demolition, the building was saved by a group of local citizens. This soap foundry is in keeping with local foundry history.

The Erland Lee (Museum) Home is a National Historic Site that serves to tell three stories: that of the Lee family, who lived in the home from 1808-1970, of the Stoney Creek community, and of the Women's Institute, which was founded in the home's dining room in February 1897. The Lee Home is a beautiful example of carpenter's Gothic architecture.

Fieldcote was built in 1948 as a private home on the outskirts of the former village of Ancaster. Today, as the village expands, it serves as a cultural heritage centre with an emphasis on local history and the promotion of fine arts. The idyllic setting is the perfect venue for music, with beautiful, landscaped gardens and walking trails.

The Tropical Greenhouse at Gage Park, opened in July 2021, is a 1,300-square-metre (14,000-square-foot) greenhouse containing a unique collection of subtropical plants, palm trees, a waterfall and fish pond. Visitors can view the production greenhouses where annual plants intended for the City’s gardens and traffic islands are started. Plants will be transferred this year beginning May 24.

The elegant Edwardian gable and bay on Grant Avenue was transformed by Dan Lanois, Bob Lanois and Bob Doidge into the world-renowned recording venue, Grant Avenue Studio. The two-storey box bay façade with stained-glass windows has welcomed artists from Gordon Lightfoot and Stan Rogers to U2 and Johnny Cash. Check out this excellent example of adaptive reuse.

The Halo Studio is a one-of-a-kind recording studio that offers professional audio engineering services in the heart of downtown Hamilton. Their custom-built studio was originally designed by Trevor Garwood Jones as a dental office in 1972, some architectural detailing remains and now provides the perfect vibes for creating great projects. Their control room has recorded Bruce Springsteen and Kanye West.

The rich history of the Hamilton Cemetery and Gatehouse will be revealed by the gatehouse staff in a walking tour around Hamilton's oldest public burial ground. Come and enjoy this rare opportunity to tour the inside of the gatehouse building — including tours of the vault and the former caretaker’s residence.

The gatehouse at Hamilton Cemetery is a historical landmark, showcasing Gothic revival architecture with charming stonework and arched windows. Built in 1854, the gatehouse was once the cemetery caretaker’s home and a chapel. Today, it serves as the arrangements office and administration offices for all 71 cemeteries operated by Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries. Join a tour at 2 p.m. each day.

Hamilton Craft Studios is a 1,300-square-metre (14,000-square-foot) multidisciplinary craft space in a historical wire factory in downtown Hamilton. Panoramic windows fill the space with natural light. The second floor houses woodworking and fabrication spaces, while the third floor features ceramics, textiles and general arts studios — offering tools, equipment and shared workspaces for makers of all skill levels.

Located on the grounds of Dundurn National Historic Site, this museum preserves and shares the military history of Hamilton and area through exhibits, programs and events. The building, originally constructed as a gate house for Dundurn Castle in the late 1830s, was first known as Battery Lodge, being located on the site of a War of 1812 artillery emplacement.

The Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology is the site of the original 1859 Hamilton Waterworks. The museum features two 13.7-metre high (45 feet), 70-ton steam-powered pumping engines that supplied the city with clean drinking water from 1859 to 1910. Made in Dundas, these engines are the oldest surviving examples of their kind in North America today.

Located at the Hill Park Learning Centre, the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Archives contains records and memorabilia of almost 350 former and current Hamilton-region schools. The volunteers and staff of the archives will be compiling photos, records and possibly videos of the music presented at high schools in the area. A treasure trove for former students and families.