Doors Open returns to St. Marys

Initially posted August 28, 2017. 

Locations include historic homes, churches and municipal buildings

On Saturday, September 30, 2017, Doors Open St. Marys will enable visitors and residents to explore some of the town’s most intriguing heritage sites not always open to the public.

Participating locations will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the exception of Junction Station, which will be open until 3:00 p.m. and the David Harrison House, which will be open until 2:00 p.m., and Lionvale, which will be open until 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and so are Doors Open St. Marys maps, available the day of the event at the information booth in front of the Town Hall.

New locations include Junction Station, where Thomas Edison may have worked as a night telegraph operator; Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home, showcasing rarely-seen historic funeral equipment and art demonstrations by St. Marys-based sculptor Peter Allan Rice; the David Harrison House, once home to some of St. Marys’ most interesting professionals; the Mathieson House, featuring a stained-glass window with a portrait of world-famous violinist Nora Clench; the Westover Inn, a Victorian mansion used as a seminary from the 1940s to the 1960s; and Lionvale, one of St. Marys' most architecturally unique homes.

Two walking tours have also been added to this year’s event. At 11:00 a.m., local historian and author Larry Pfaff will lead a tour of Westover Inn’s unique outbuildings and landscape features. Visitors can also enjoy a self-guided tour of historic downtown through information posted in shop windows by the St. Marys Business Improvement Area. Many businesses will be open during the event, allowing patrons to view interior architecture while browsing the wares within.

Five stunning churches, the Richardson Romanesque Town Hall, Carnegie Library, St. Marys Museum, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and St. Marys Station Gallery will also be open. For more details about Doors Open St. Marys, visit www.townofstmarys.com or  http://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/Events/St-Marys.aspx.

Doors Open Ontario

The St. Marys event is part of a province-wide initiative, Doors Open Ontario, which is a program of the Ontario Heritage Trust, with funding support provided by the Ontario150 program. For more information visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca.

- 30 -

Contact

Stacey Wheal | Corporate Communications Specialist
519-284-2340, ext. 429 | swheal@town.stmarys.on.ca