On Sept. 19, 2026, Waterloo Region’s unique and historical buildings opened their doors to the public. Free to attend, the annual Doors Open event ran from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Visitors were encouraged to access the digital Doors Open Passport. For a chance to win one of three $100 prizes, people were asked to list sites they visited and describe what they enjoyed at each location. Those without a device could send their responses via email.
There were 27 sites in total, with one in Ayr, six in Cambridge, 12 in Kitchener, five in Waterloo, one in Elmira, one in St. Clements and one in New Hamburg.
If you missed the event, make sure to mark your calendar for next year. In the meantime, here are a few of the special locations that opened their doors to the public this year.
Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower (Kitchener)
The Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower overlooks the Grand River on a peaceful part of the Walter Bean Grand River Trail. Nearby, the people it pays tribute to, Joseph Schoerg and Samuel Betzner, the first non-Indigenous settlers in the area, lay resting with their families sheltered under a giant tree.
From the fieldstones at the base of the 18.9-metre-high tower, to the Swiss-inspired copper spire, the eight-sided deck referencing true north, and the Conestoga wagon weathervane, each component of the tower is a nod to the life the Pennsylvanian German settlers built in what is now Waterloo Region.
Ghost Village of Black Horse Corner (Ayr)
The once bustling Black Horse Inn was open from 1853-1875 in North Dumfries. Travellers, local families, farmers and tradespeople frequented the corner the inn once stood on. However, today the corner of Cedar Creek Rd. and Northumberland St. hints at nothing of the people and inn that once animated this part of Waterloo Region. A fire ultimately ended the inn’s existence.
How could a Doors Open event take place in a disappeared building? There are still three standing outbuildings remaining from the 1800s: a barn, a former cheese factory and a smokehouse.
Tapestry Hall (Cambridge)
Tapestry Hall has the most eye-popping surprise as you walk through its gigantic doors. A huge art piece, Meander by architect and University of Waterloo faculty of engineering partner Philip Beesley, steals the show and is best described as jaw-dropping. The historic 19th century limestone building that houses the spectacle is a part of the popular third space, the Gaslight District in downtown Galt.
Brubacher House (Waterloo)
With the breakneck pace of technology, it’s smart to have a look backwards to ground us and see where we’ve come from—and to remind us that new and fast isn’t always better. Tucked into the University of Waterloo’s Research and Technology Park is an 1850s Mennonite farmhouse. The 16-person Brubacher family once lived in the home, now designated as a significant Cultural Heritage Landscape in Waterloo. Today there’s a museum on the ground floor and a family home upstairs.
Elmira Masonic Centre (Elmira)
For 150 years, Freemasons have lived and gathered in Waterloo Region. Today there are around 50 members at Glenrose Lodge and 42 members at New Dominion. Across Ontario there are roughly 40,000 to 50,000 Masons. During the Doors Open event, the Elmira Masonic Centre welcomed visitors in to learn about local Freemason symbols, traditions and community history.
YMCA Camp Ki-Wa-Y (St. Clements)
On Paradise Lake in the Township of Wellesley, YMCA Camp Ki-Wa-Y has been giving kids the freedom to explore and enjoy the outdoors for over 100 years. As a part of the event, people of all ages were encouraged to try their skills at archery, spike their adrenaline on the high ropes and soak in the calm of the camp’s waterfront.
Peel St. Beverage Co. (New Hamburg)
Invigorating old spaces with new purpose is a marker of a creative and thriving community. Peel St. Beverage Co.’s nano-brewery and taproom resides in a heritage building built in 1872. Connecting past with present, the name Peel St. refers to the 1832 settlement’s street that predates the town of New Hamburg. But what really makes a place is its myths and lore. New Hamburg’s legendary river resident, “Nithy,” served as the inspiration for the Nith River Monster Hazy IPA, which is worth the taste test.
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