On his Instagram account @beautyandruin, Cambridge photographer and history buff Michael Johnston showcases more than 1,000 images of heritage homes and stunning structures that illustrate the fascinating past, present and future of Waterloo Region. In this episode of Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region (entitled Beauty and Ruin in Waterloo Region, shown below), Johnston shares a selection of his favourite images and the stories behind the structures. Sites include: the Dickson Park grandstand, Preston Free School, Jacob Beck home, homes built by architect Ray Hall, Preston Springs Hotel and a selection of churches ranging from Gothic to mid-century modern in design.

Author and historian Marion Roes has been surrounded by death her entire life. Her family founded Dreisinger Funeral Home in Elmira in 1904. Roes has written a 500-page book titled Death as Life’s Work, which lovingly and painstakingly documents an illustrated history of more than 120 undertakers and funeral businesses throughout Waterloo Region from 1850 through 2020. As part of Digital Doors Open, join Roes on this journey through the video below.

Waterloo Region has had, over the past 150 years, sightings of two so-called river monsters. Join us as we explore these Loch Ness Monster-like creatures that are part of the region’s history. Sightings of the infamous Nithy of the Nith River were reported in newspapers throughout Ontario in the 1950s. The lesser-known Doon Monster of the Grand River bubbled up a century before. Both of these river monsters generated a groundswell of interest that united and divided neighbours in a wave of debate about con versus phenomenon. As part of Digital Doors Open, the video below begins at what is today the Homer Watson House & Gallery, where a young Homer Watson is regaled with tales of when the sea serpent came to Doon in 1857. In 1929, he shares these stories with a local newspaper, and that article becomes the starting point for this local legend.

The William Street Pumping Station is an architectural landmark of uptown Waterloo and a symbol of the region’s innovation and industrial spirit. Built in 1899 as the site of the first groundwater wells in Waterloo, it provided access to a clean and reliable water supply that contributed greatly to the social welfare of the community. A point of pride for those who work to protect and provide water for our booming municipality, William Street Pumping Station is a reminder of the parts we all play in protecting the community’s public health. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes experience of this historical pumping station.

Levi Carroll, born in Maryland, self-emancipated in 1843 and came to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Settling in Berlin (now Kitchener), he lived in Waterloo’s former log schoolhouse when it was located by Kitchener Collegiate Institute. This landmark now resides in Waterloo Park and is Ontario's oldest remaining log schoolhouse, standing as a tribute to education/Black resilience. Parking notice!

This scenic driving tour highlights four heritage cemeteries while winding through the three cities and four rural townships of Waterloo Region. Each stop tells a historical tale of mischief, mystery, mayhem or murder: the Bean Puzzle tombstone (the poisoning by chocolate of Meta D. Cherry), ghostly nights with the founder of Castle Kilbride, and a bodysnatching in Kitchener. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below for a tour of these four heritage cemeteries: Trinity Anglican Cemetery on 72 Blenheim Road in Cambridge, First Mennonite Church and Cemetery at 800 King Street East in Kitchener, Rushes Cemetery at 1915 Hutchison Road in Wellesley, and Fairmount Cemetery at 1062 Brewery Street in Baden (Wilmot Township).

From its headquarters on Blair Road in Cambridge, the rare Charitable Research Reserve works to discover the most inclusive practices and answers to environmental issues, stewarding the reserve’s diverse network of natural landscapes for ecological integrity and future generations. rare offers Waterloo Region a diverse network of connected natural areas, protected intact in perpetuity. Its leadership in conservation, research, restoration and education is encompassed in North House, an aspirational 60-square-metre (650-square-foot) solar-powered home and working model of green technology. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes experience of this fascinating structure.

It is nearly impossible to notice at first glance, but an underground bunker known as MEGHQ-FREEPORT sits along the Grand River in Kitchener’s Schneider Park. Owned by the Region of Waterloo, it was conceived and crafted to serve as a Cold War fallout shelter to protect key officials following a nuclear attack. Now, 55 years after its construction, this unique and crumbling piece of local history is sparking debate about its future. Should it be demolished? Or should the space be restored, preserved and reimagined? As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes experience of this Cold War fallout shelter.

Levi Carroll is best known for a log schoolhouse built in 1820 that was Waterloo’s first educational institution. Once the community outgrew the 5-metre by 6-metre (16-foot by 20-foot) schoolhouse, Carroll lived in it for more than 50 years. This important historical structure now rests in Waterloo Park and provides a backdrop for exploring more about Carroll – an ex-slave from Maryland who, despite the odds, lived into his 90s and was described in his 1897 obituary as “a citizen whom almost everyone knows.” But that familiarity has been lost to time. Author and social historian Joanna Rickert-Hall is working to resurrect Levi Carroll’s narrative and its ties to other lost local stories and important conversations. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below to learn more about Levi Carroll and this iconic landmark.

Since 1993, Hospice Waterloo Region has provided vital care for those living with advanced illness and support for their loved ones. In 2021, the organization realized a new chapter with the opening of the Gies Family Centre, which includes the 10-bed Cook Family Residence that provides 24-hour care to patients and their families. Located on 2 hectares (5 acres) of land in north Waterloo, this facility embraces visitors through its thoughtful design, warm materials and inviting landscape. While the structure is inspired by the lands and history of the region, the work within its walls is anchored in a holistic approach to care and honouring the life journeys of the community it serves. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes experience of this state-of-the-art facility.

In the 1960s, the burgeoning neighbourhood of Forest Hill in Kitchener was touted by developers as “gracious living,” and its model custom home of distinction was known as the Home of Enchantment. Six decades later, this mid-century modern beauty is celebrating a revival thanks to the ambitious vision of its second owners who have meticulously restored its original character and maximum potential while dressing it in unique, decadent and quirky interiors that make it truly one-of-a-kind. As part of Digital Doors Open, watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes experience of this unique home.

The Willibald Farm Distillery and Kitchen is located in beautiful Ayr, which celebrates its bicentennial this year! Take a guided tour of this first-generation farm distillery and brewery, which produces grain-to-glass spirits, canned cocktails and beer. The operation is in a converted century barn on a 40-hectare (100-acre) former dairy farm that also raises heritage cattle and runs an apiary.

Built in 1879, Wesley United Church is situated in Galt’s historical civic square, adjacent to Cambridge Farmer’s Market and historical city hall. Explore the sanctuary, chapel and hall featuring the Apple Café (where apple dumplings and coffee are sold). Proceeds from this café fund local charities as well as the regular maintenance and upkeep of the church’s beautiful pipe organ.

Explore Waterloo Region’s oldest buildings — the 1852-53 Gaol (jail) and the 1878 Governor’s House — and learn how community action saved them from demolition. By combining designation with adaptive reuse, the granite Gaol houses Provincial Offences courtrooms. And the Governor’s House (jail warden’s home) contains legal offices. Questions? The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) North Waterloo Branch will be on-hand.

While it is now the largest craft brewery in Ontario, it was also the first, and Waterloo Brewing is simultaneously expanding its scope while stoking that pioneering spirit that launched it 36 years ago. Brewing beer with character, for people of character, the entire operation now runs from a single Kitchener location. It features a new beer store, patio and taphouse where a microbrewery affords passionate beer-loving staff to dream up and test the next big thing. Learn more about Waterloo Brewing's passion for craft beer in the following episode of Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region.

Since its inception in 2002, The Timeless Material Company has operated in the true spirit of salvage. While preserving and repurposing wood and other building products from historical and iconic local structures, this Waterloo family business has simultaneously diverted tons of quality material from landfill. Working with its sister company Kieswetter Demolition, The Timeless Material Company promotes and facilitates a modern afterlife for the building components of our past. During Digital Doors Open, explore this unique site through the video below and learn more about its spirit of salvage.

Tapestry Hall is a new skin on old, strong bones. From its foundry roots of 1847 to today's reinvention as a premier event venue in Galt's burgeoning Gaslight District, this new, chic space is a warm embrace with storied limestone bricks, beaten wooden beams and smooth concrete. Voluptuous windows spill light throughout the hall, taproom and onsite brewery as the world's largest living sculpture, called Meander, draws from the ceiling to greet and guide visitors throughout this historical masterpiece. As part of Digital Doors Open, learn more about this unique venue through the video below.

In 2017, Stephanie Boutari took a big leap to paint big, joining her husband Adam (BOKO Studio) on a path of artistic and design exploration to make ideas happen. Her large-scale murals, often featuring vibrant palettes and geometric shapes, have been commissioned for dozens of public and commercial spaces throughout Waterloo Region. Inspired by the ways in which colour and scale transform the perception of space, Boutari’s work is refining her relationship between art and architecture. Watch the episode below of Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region to learn how Boutari is painting the town big.

SPECTRUM is Waterloo Region’s first ever LGBTQ/rainbow community space. The small-but-mighty haven created by SPECTRUM is currently located in the historical Boehmer Box building in Kitchener. This poignant episode explores the rainbow community's long struggle to establish safe gathering spaces within Waterloo Region, and includes a walking tour hosted by SPECTRUM's President, Cait Glasson. Watch the episode below from Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region and explore downtown Kitchener from Glasson's perspective.

Despite its location in the neighbouring municipality of Centre Wellington, the Shand Dam has been vital to the health and wellbeing of Waterloo Region since it opened in 1942. In this episode of Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region, the Grand River Conservation Authority provides web visitors with exclusive access throughout the dam’s superstructure, explaining the marvellous wartime feats of engineering that created it, and the balance of technology and human knowledge required to maintain it.

Once upon a time, the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) consisted of two grass air strips. Today, it consistently ranks as one of the 20 busiest airports in Canada. YKF is unique in many ways and this behind-the-scenes exploration of its daily operation reveals a thriving aviation community that is passionate about safety and growth. Still enchanted by the magic of air travel, the dedicated staff are planning today to better serve Waterloo Region tomorrow. Find out how in the following episode of Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region.

The death industry is changing and Parkview Crematorium in Waterloo is one of just a handful of crematoriums still owned and operated by municipalities in Ontario. In 2019, it seemed Parkview might also close amidst competition from private operators. But the community rose to save it from the ashes.

Founded by four University of Waterloo graduates, OTTO Motors is a leading provider of autonomous mobile robots. These self-driving vehicles automate material movement inside busy factories and warehouses to create safer, more productive and more fulfilling workplaces for manufacturers worldwide. See where and how robots are tested, watch live demos and talk with the team. Access by guided tour only.

Seven generations have farmed the land in Woolwich Township that is now home to Martin’s Family Fruit Farm - one of the largest apple growers, packers and shippers in Canada. While the business has blossomed with innovation and expansion in the past decade, each one of the orchards’ millions of apples is still picked carefully by hand, and locals continue to buy apples in the onsite Orchard Market. With the help of up to 300 employees, the Martins still run this family business, and they do so according to their core values that support their mission of growing for healthy communities. During Digital Doors Open, learn more about this family and their thriving business through the video below.

Part 2 of a two-part series on how Cambridge became Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale. Under her eye: The award-winning web television series The Handmaid's Tale showcases much of the architecture, heritage buildings and stunning natural features of Cambridge in its fictional rendering of a dystopian Gilead. The city's unique assets, central location, and welcoming vibe for the production team made it winner. After three celebrated seasons and 37 major award victories, many of these key locations have put Cambridge on the map worldwide – with viewers and film production companies alike. Devon Hogue, the Business Information Officer for the City of Cambridge, takes us on a tour of key locations and the many challenges and rewards along the way. Join the tour in the below episode of Digital Doors Open Waterloo Region. And don’t forget to check out the filming locations on the city’s map.