Doors Open Oshawa 2012

This remarkable building, designed by noted Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, houses varied collections and celebrates the vitality of Canadian art.

View works by the Group of Seven, Emily Carr, Painters Eleven and others. Of special local interest are photographs from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. 

Constructed in the Art Deco style, the building is now home to four lodges and two concordant bodies.  Shrouded in symbolism, here is a unique chance to view the Lodge Room and Library.

Built in 1903 by the T. Eaton Co. as a white goods factory, 61 Charles was expanded by the Oriental Textile Co. in the 1920s to manufacture fabric for the automotive industry, and for nearly fifty years was home to Alger Press Ltd. After restoration, 61 Charles now provides two floors of classrooms, student services, a library and much more at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

Established in 1961 and housed in a 1920's car dealership, the museum showcases the development of the automobile with approximately 65 vehicles dating from 1898 to 1981.  The building has an original freight elevator and other historical items relating to the periods of the cars.

Oshawa Community Museum

Visit Henry House for audio tours and costumed guides. Guy House, Henry House and Robinson House are designated historic houses that comprise the museum.  Located in beautiful Lakeview Park, these buildings stand on their original foundations and represent different architectural styles.  The museum and archives provide visitors with a good understanding of the lives of Oshawa's early inhabitants. 

Built in the year of Confederation for a Methodist congregation, this church is a fine example of the Gothic Revival style.  Lancet-arched openings and a polygonal spire with pinnacles and dormers embellish the exterior.  A Casavant organ, 36' ornamental timber arches and a pressed-tin ceiling dominate the interior.

St. George's opened in the same year Oshawa became a city.  Constructed of Credit Valley sandstone in the old English Gothic-revival style, this Eden Smith designed church was considered by him to be his finest work.  The buttresses and Gothic tracery are noteworthy.  The tower supports a 15-bell carillon.  The Parish Hall was an addition designed by Architects Forsey Page & Steele.

Join renowned author Lynn Phillip Hodgson for a tour of Camp X.  Meet at the monument and explore the former top secret WWII spy training school on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Cowan House is a Georgian style dwelling with Italianate properties seen in the bracketed eaves and portico elements.  It was home to businessman and Mayor W. F. Cowan and his family.  Today, it serves as offices and meeting rooms for St. George's Memorial Church.

Built in 1873 after a devastating fire destroyed much of this area, the building is one of the oldest remaining in Oshawa.  Built of red brick with contrasting beige quoins, eyebrows and brick banding, this style is representative of a mid-1800s downtown store. The Statler Piano Studio occupied the store from 1887 selling the Oshawa built Williams Piano.  The CHEX12 studio is opened after extensive renovations.  This state of art studio will be both studio and production space all in the same building.

Union Cemetery

760 King Street West
Year Built: Established 1837
Guided or self-guided Tours.

Many famous people from Oshawa's and Canada's past are interred in 'Thornton's Burying Ground'.  Today, the site covers 29 acres and includes private mausoleums and a Gothic Revival chapel.  The Mausoleum was built in 1924 and features an ornate marble interior and hand-painted stained-glass windows.

Although built in 1961, this church is a repository of artifacts from previous churches dating back to the 1850's.  Victorian and Art Nouveau items adorn the interior, including a statue from Walsingham England, stained glass windows, carved wood pulpit and altar pieces.  View an exhibit of vestments and sacred vessels.