R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club among local sites taking part in Doors Open Toronto

Doors Open Toronto is set for this weekend, with more 160 sites and spaces open to explore around the city, including several notable locations throughout East Toronto.

With sites spanning historic churches and industrial landmarks to community hubs and music spaces, visitors will be able to step inside, and gain a deeper understanding of the buildings that reflect the Toronto’s cultural and architectural history.

Among the featured local locations is the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant on Queen Street East at the foot of Victoria Park Avenue. Known for its striking Art Deco design, the building is recognized under the Ontario Heritage Act as a National Historic Civil Engineering Site, and has been recognized as a Canadian Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association. Doors will be open to from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 23 and 24.

Another landmark taking part is the Danforth Mennonite Church, a 115 year old Neo Gothic building at 2174 Danforth Ave. Once surrounded by farmland, the church has since become a long-standing fixture on the Danforth. Many original design features, including wood trims and furnishings, have been preserved through the years, keeping its history and charm intact. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23 and 24.

The Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club, 12 Lee Ave., will also open its doors to the public. The club serves as a gathering place for residents through lawn bowling, croquet and year round social programs. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23 and 24.

Riverdale Hub, 1326 Gerrard St. E., began as a silent movie theatre before being transformed into a multi-purpose arts and community space supporting marginalized and BIPOC communities. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23.

The Raw Signal Group, 1414 Danforth Ave., stands as one of the oldest bank buildings in Toronto, constructed in 1919, displaying a Neo Gothic and Art Deco architectural style. Today it is being restored by the Raw Signal Group, a Toronto-based business, to be used as their headquarters. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23 and 24.

The East End Food Hub, in the Glen Rhodes United Church building at 1470 Gerrard St. E., will also open its doors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23. The church building is more than 100 years old, and the Food Hub helps area residents in need.

Music fans can visit Dine Alone Records at 864 Eastern Ave., a Leslieville recording studio and store linked with Canadian artists including Tokyo Police Club, City and Colour, Alexisonfire and Bedouin Soundclash. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23.

The Don Jail at Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital will also be featured in Doors Open. Opened in 1864 and designed in the Italianate style, the jail remained active for more than a century before closing in 1977. Today, the restored structure is the administrative centre for the hospital and is connected to the modern building by a glass bridge. The site at 1 Bridgepoint Dr. will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 23 and 24.

Other buildings and facilities open in East Toronto will include the city’s 433 Eastern Yard which was constructed in 1912. The Edwardian style building is one of the few surviving buildings from the former Consumers’ Gas Company complex in the Eastern and Booth avenues area. Originally a three-building industrial campus, two of the buildings are now owned by the City of Toronto, while a third structure remains under the ownership of Enbridge Gas. The site on 433 Eastern Ave. will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on May 23, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 24.

Todmorden Mills, located at 67 Pottery Rd., will be part of Doors Open on both this Saturday and Sunday. The site reflects a mosaic of history and culture. Once an Indigenous waterway and later a major industrial site, the area now serves as a museum, theatre and arts hub. Visitors can explore 19th century buildings, including a historic paper mill, brewery, restored homes and a wildflower preserve. It will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23 and 24.

St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 361 Danforth Ave., is another featured location. Founded in 1858, and constructed in 1910, it is one of Toronto’s oldest active Anglican parishes. The Neo Gothic church contains stained glass windows from the 1920s, an even older window from the previous wooden church, a World War memorial window, oak reredos and painted interior artwork on the east wall and ceiling. The church will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 23 and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 24.

As part of this year’s Doors Open Toronto event, there will be a number of guided tours and talks.

For more information, or to book a tour or talk, go to https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/doors-open-toronto/