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Medium close-up photo of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto, an historic art deco building of yellow brick and grey stone, with an arched window above the front door, with wrought iron lighting fixtures on either side of the door.
Close-up photo of the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto, an historic art deco building of yellow brick and grey stone, with an arched window above the front door, with wrought iron lighting fixtures on either side of the door.
Photo: R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant. Photo by Randy Hoffmann.

Hidden histories Hidden histories

await your discovery as you explore historical Toronto buildings & sites.

Photo: R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant. Photo by Randy Hoffmann.

Home Events Cities Doors Open Toronto 2024

Doors Open Toronto 2024

One weekend only!
Unique, free access to Toronto’s most iconic buildings & sites

On Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26, 2024, City of Toronto Culture presents its annual Doors Open Toronto building and site tour event. This year’s theme is Hidden Histories, where visitors of all ages and backgrounds will have the opportunity to engage with the forgotten or often-overlooked sites and stories of Toronto through guided and self-guided tours, and engaging talks.

Under the streets, behind closed doors and in our own backyards lays another Toronto; a city filled with hidden histories. From ancient Indigenous footpaths along the shoreline of glacial Lake Iroquois, to lost rivers to Canada’s oldest surviving queer space, the story of Toronto is one told through its many pasts and voices.

About Doors Open Toronto

Developed as a millennium project in 2000, Doors Open Toronto invites the public to explore the City of Toronto’s most-loved buildings and sites – learning about Toronto’s history, becoming involved and celebrating Toronto’s built heritage. Each May, the event provides rare access to buildings not usually open to the public and free access to sites that would usually charge an admission fee. Since its inception in 2000, it has attracted more than two million visits to nearly 700 unique locations and remains the largest event of its kind in Canada. Toronto was the first North American city to offer a Doors Open program and has inspired similar events across the continent. In 2002, inspired by the successful Toronto program, the Ontario Heritage Foundation (now the Ontario Heritage Trust) launched Doors Open Ontario.

(Photo credits: City of Toronto Culture / Doors Open Toronto. R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant photo by Randy Hoffmann.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: City of Toronto Culture

Type of event: historic building & site tours

Dates: Saturday, May 25 & Sunday, May 26, 2024

Times: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET. Times for individual venues/sites may differ, so please check the schedule.

Cost: Free

Locations: Toronto, ON, Canada: See the following links for events & participating locations/sites.

Contact Details: City of Toronto Culture; 416-392-2489, cultureto@toronto.ca, toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/

 

Accessibility: Please refer to the individual building/site locations.