April 22, 2006

Guelph's finest buildings open their doors for free public tours on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Saturday, April 22, 2006, Guelph residents and visitors will be able to participate in Doors Open Guelph, the annual celebration of the City's history and architectural heritage. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., several of Guelph's finest buildings, many of which are not generally open to the public, will open their doors for free public tours.

A joint undertaking of Guelph Arts Council, Heritage Guelph and City of Guelph Tourism, Doors Open Guelph 2006 is also part of part of Doors Open Ontario, an Ontario Heritage Foundation province-wide initiative to celebrate community heritage. The Guelph event has the distinction of being the first in some 50 Doors Open events taking place across Ontario during 2006.

For more information about sites and tours, watch for the Doors Open Guelph brochure, available in March, or contact Guelph Arts Council by telephone at (519) 836-3280 or e-mail gac@sentex.net. Also visit Guelph Arts Council's Doors Open Guelph 2006 gallery for a look at all the sites.

Media Sponsor for Doors Open Guelph 2006:
• Guelph Mercury

Doors Open Guelph 2006 has received invaluable support from the following partners:
• Ontario Heritage Trust
• City of Guelph
• Victoria Wood (Clairfields) Inc.
• Downtown Guelph
• Bell Mobility

Doors Open Guelph will showcase the following buildings:
School Section #4 Schoolhouse
NOW CAW Local 541 Hall
611 Silvercreek Parkway North
• This unique one-room schoolhouse, with its corbie-stepped gable and exemplary fieldstone masonry, served as a centre for education and community life for almost a century. Built in 1865, the school closed in 1962 and is now a hall/office for the CAW local. Memorabilia from the school's history will be on display during the tour.

Church of the Disciples of Christ
Guelph Christian Church
126 Norwich Street East
• This attractive small church of non-conformist design, incorporating classical features, was built 1856-57 for a group of Scottish Congregationalists, and is the second oldest of Guelph's eleven remaining stone churches. Originally known as the Zion Chapel, it was sold in 1882 to the Disciples of Christ, who have occupied it continually since.

Bell-Kennedy House
NOW Offices of Blackmont Capital
193 Woolwich Street
• This stately Edwardian house (1901) is a reflection of its first owners, Edith Bell Kennedy, daughter of William Bell, founder of Guelph's Bell Organ and Piano Company, and her physician husband. Although the building now houses a local business, it retains many of the interesting interior features introduced by Mrs. Kennedy.

Knowles House
NOW offices for Canada Outdoor Shows
46 Cardigan Street
• Originally two separate buildings built circa 1854-55 - a modest storey-and-a-half post-and-beam house and a smaller shed-type structure - this property was bought in 1873 by William H.G. Knowles whose family retained it for the next 70 years. This building has been tastefully restored to serve as both offices for a local business and residence quarters for the owners.

Canadian Pacific Caboose 436994
Located on siding between River Run Centre and St. Geroge's Church
(enter off Woolwich Street)
• Built in 1941, this wooden-body caboose served the Canadian Pacific Railway for more than 40 years. Over the past 12 years, it has been beautifully restored by members of the Guelph Historical Railway Association. The inside is now a railway museum on wheels, reflecting the glory days of railroading in the mid-20th century.

County Solicitor's Building
NOW Wellington County Child Care Services
15 Douglas Street
• Constructed of local limestone, this distinctive 1860s building housed the solicitors for the County of Wellington for over 100 years. The three-sectioned façade is given definition through use of vertical lines of quarry-faced stone blocks on the front and at the corners, contrasting with the background of carefully-dressed ashlar.

Armstrong House
NOW Offices of Family Counselling and Support Services (for Guelph-Wellington)
109 Surrey Street East
• The house was built circa 1867 for Andrew and Mary Armstrong, prominent early Guelph businesspeople. While Mary ran the family bakery, Andrew expanded into woolen manufacturing and other local enterprises. The house is an excellent example of Guelph domestic stone architecture and has been recently restored as part of a new office project.

British Methodist Episcopal Church
83 Essex Street
• This small Gothic Revival limestone church was built 1880-81 to house the British Methodist Episcopal congregration of fugitive slaves from United States, providing a safe haven for black settlers living in the area. Today, the building serves as a centre for Black history in Guelph, and memorabilia will be on display during the tour.

Guelph Railway Powerhouse and Car Shed
NOW Graystone Residences
371 Waterloo Avenue
• George Sleeman built the stone car barn and powerhouse for his Guelph Railway Company in 1895. After the radial line closed in 1937, the building was used as bus barns for Guelph Transportation and later sold to Sutton Automotive. The original stone portions have been converted into 44 rental apartments.

Farnham Farm
NOW Offices of Poultry Industry Council
483 Arkell Road, Arkell
• One of the most distinctive farm houses on Guelph's rural fringe, Farnham Farm was built 1844-52 by Thomas Arkell, a founder of the village of Farnham in 1830. The Georgian house and bank barn (1840s) stand on one of the area's most prosperous farms, and have retained several interesting features.

Arkell Schoolhouse
843 Watson Road, Arkell
• Built in 1862 of local limestone, this one-room schoolhouse was also known as School Section #1 or Watson's School. It served the Arkell community until 1967. The building's interior was renovated several years ago, and now serves as a combination art gallery, concert hall, private residence and real estate office.

For more information, contact:
Guelph Arts Council
Phone: (519) 836-3280 Email: gac@sentex.net
Web: http://guelph.ca/doorsopenguelph