Doors Open Ontario presenting sponsor
Doors Open Ontario presenting sponsor

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Doors Open Ontario:

Owen Sound

in-person event information

Saturday, August 24, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Doors Open Owen Sound is back! Join us for an exciting day of exploring Owen Sound's heritage sites and learning about the buildings that define us. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Community information

The City of Owen Sound is located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay in a valley below the limestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. It lies at the foot of the Bruce Peninsula, famous for its exceptional geography.

Known as the Scenic City, Owen Sound features an expansive harbour and bay, winding rivers, tree-lined streets, extensive parks and trails and a thriving, historical River District in the heart of the city.

Key natural attractions include Inglis Falls, Harrison Park, Kelso Beach Park and several conservation areas. The Bruce Trail forms a ribbon around the city along the escarpment, connecting waterfalls and revealing a wide array of flora and fauna, including rare ferns.

Once named a Cultural Capital of Canada, the city is home to numerous festivals and events, such as the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, the Sweetwater Music Festival, the Waterfront Festival, the Salmon Spectacular fishing derby, the Concours d'Elegance and the Festival of Northern Lights.

We are thrilled to participate in Doors Open Ontario — a provincewide heritage tourism program that gives the public free access to explore fascinating heritage properties across Ontario. It showcases the buildings, natural spaces, infrastructure and cultural landscapes that shape and define our communities.

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Contact information

14 In-person Doors Open sites

Billy Bishop MuseumDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Billy Bishop Museum

The Billy Bishop Museum remains an Owen Sound landmark. Boyhood home of the eponymous First World War flying ace, this museum invites you to explore the Bishop family and to honour the contributions of service men and women, past and present. Dedicated as a museum in 1987, this site became a National Historic Site in 2002.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • National Historic Site (Canada)
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

948 3rd Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@billybishop.org
https://www.billybishopmuseum.org

Architecture

Year built: 1884
Building type: Attraction Historical landmark Museum

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

British Methodist Episcopal ChurchDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

British Methodist Episcopal Church

This church was built in 1889 for the West Side Methodists. They soon outgrew this little chapel and, in 1911, they sold it and it became the British Methodist Episcopal Church (originally known as “the coloured people's church”). Today, this diverse congregation continues to carry on the legacy of the original Black families who settled in Grey County.

  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Site has blue and gold provincial plaque
  • Site is protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

245 11th Street West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: bmechurchofowensound@gmail.com
https://bmechurchofowensound.com

Architecture

Year built: 1889
Building type: Place of worship

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Community Waterfront Heritage CentreDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Community Waterfront Heritage Centre

The Marine Rail Heritage Centre, housed inside the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre, was established in 1978 by a volunteer group of enthusiasts to showcase Owen Sound’s history as a thriving port. Location inside the historical railway station, this museum preserves the area’s marine, rail and industrial history, with artifacts, scale models, archival photos, interactive stations, and railway memorabilia.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

1155 1st Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@waterfrontheritage.ca
https://waterfrontheritage.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1931
Building type: Historical landmark Museum Transportation Gallery

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Georgian Bay School of the ArtsDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Georgian Bay School of the Arts

This not-for-profit organization is dedicated to inspiring artistic excellence and encouraging practical skills development while providing inclusive and creative educational programming. Located in Owen Sound’s iconic bingo hall, this large open-concept space accommodates fully equipped studios for jewelry, pottery, printmaking, stained glass, painting, textiles, mixed media and digital arts. Inside, enjoy a snack or lunch at the Palette Café.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

938 2nd Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@gbarts.ca
https://gbarts.ca

Architecture

Building type: Educational facility Gallery

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Gichi-Name Wiikwedong Reconciliation GardenDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Gichi-Name Wiikwedong Reconciliation Garden

In 2010, after the committee planned, funded and built a permanent healing and reconciliation garden to recognize and celebrate Indigenous history and culture, this site was completed. In the spirit of reconciliation, it is a contemplative place where the community can pause, reflect and remember. The location was chosen because the banks of these rivers were once fertile hunting/fishing grounds.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Kid-friendly
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

South end of Kelso Beach at Nawash Park (enter at 19th Street West)
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: thom@thomasdean.ca
https://www.facebook.com/gichinamereconciliationgarden

Architecture

Year built: 2010

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Morland PlaceDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Morland Place

Built by the McCallum family in 1920, Morland Place was originally a small, country cottage-style home. The rear expansion was modelled after the 1870s regency Georgian villa style. Members of Rural Gardens of Grey Bruce invite you to experience the beauty of the site’s rural gardens. Meet enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardeners who are happy to share their gardening experiences.

  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

102645 Grey Road 18
Georgian Bluffs, Ontario
http://www.visitgrey.ca/business/morland-place

Architecture

Year built: 1920; gardens begun in 1960
Building type: Historical house Private residence

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Mudtown Station Brewery and RestaurantDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Mudtown Station Brewery and Restaurant

Mudtown Station Brewery and Restaurant offers a meeting place in Owen Sound’s Mudtown neighbourhood that celebrates both the history of the city and the talents of its present-day residents. Food made entirely from scratch, produced with local ingredients and paired with local craft beer sets the stage for a great time. This designated property was once a railway station.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • National Historic Site (Canada)
  • Parking
  • Site is protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

1198 1st Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
https://www.mudtownstation.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1946
Building type: Food and drink Historical landmark Transportation

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Owen Sound Artists' Co-opDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Owen Sound Artists' Co-op

Constructed in 1905 as a retail store, this building was purchased in 1924 by a rival retailer who operated it as a dry goods store until 1989. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1990, it is now home to the Owen Sound Artists' Co-op — a gallery/retail space for area artists to showcase and sell their work.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Parking
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

942 2nd Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: info@artistscoop.ca
https://artistscoop.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1905
Building type: Commercial Historical landmark Gallery
Architect: Forster and Clark

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Owen Sound CenotaphDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Owen Sound Cenotaph

Dedicated on December 1, 1920 and designed by the assistant to the man behind France’s Vimy Ridge monument, the Owen Sound Cenotaph serves as a memorial to Canadian veterans from the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and up to the present day. Legion Remembrance Day ceremonies and memorial services are held here to this day.

  • Full wheelchair access
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Site has blue and gold provincial plaque
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

815 1st Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: jwright@owensound.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1921

Architect: Emanuel Hahn

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Owen Sound Farmers' MarketDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Owen Sound Farmers' Market

This farmers’ market was in operation before the city was incorporated. Initially held wherever there was space, the market moved into the town hall in 1870. Over time, the Market Square has become the centre of community life. Run today by the Owen Sound Market Vendors Association, it remains a hub in the city where people can buy local products.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Food vendors
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Kid-friendly
  • Parking
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

88 8th Street East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: Owensoundmarket@gmail.com
https://www.owensoundfarmersmarket.com

Architecture

Building type: Food and drink
Architect: Julian Forster and John Clark

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Potter's FieldDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Potter's Field

Greenwood Cemetery is home to Potter's Field, the final resting place for some 1,200 indigent and stigmatized citizens. In 2018, John and Shirley Reaburn offered to support the creation of a permanent monument, which was unveiled in 2021. Learn about the history of Potter’s Field with guide Aly Boltman, who will touch on the unique histories of those buried here.

  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Photography allowed

Contact info

190 1st Street West (at Greenwood Cemetery)
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: jwright@owensound.ca
https://www.owensound.ca/recreation-culture/heritage-conservation

Architecture

Year built: 1860 (Potter's Field becomes operational); 2021 (monument unveiled)
Building type: Cemetery
Architect: Potter’s Field Steering Committee and Sanderson Monuments

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

St. George's Anglican ChurchDoors Open Owen Sound

New

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

St. George's Anglican Church

This church is an active community member — with bi-monthly neighbourhood dinners, a food-share program, the annual mariners' service and the blessing of the Great Lakes fleet, community music concerts, a quilt show and the Kati Gleiser concert/lecture series on the great classical composers. Use Doors Open Owen Sound as a wonderful opportunity to return to this heritage building.

  • Full wheelchair access
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

1049 4th Avenue East
Owen Sound, Ontario
Email: sgac@bmts.com
https://www.stgeorgesos.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1881
Building type: Place of worship

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24

Tone Yoga StudioDoors Open Owen Sound

  • In-person Doors Open Ontario

Tone Yoga Studio

Built of native stone and dedicated to the Congregational church in 1871, this property was sold in 1902 to the Women's Christian Temperance Union for use as a meeting hall. It became a Lutheran church in 1943 and was then bought by the Christian Science Society in 1963. Today, this designated building is a thriving yoga, music and dance studio.

  • 2024 theme: Adaptive reuse
  • Guided tours available
  • Parking
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Site is protected by the Ontario Heritage Trust
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities

Contact info

900 1st Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
http://toneyogastudio.com

Architecture

Year built: 1869
Building type: Commercial Place of worship

Dates/hours open

Aug 24 - Aug 24