Doors Open Brant 2009

Doors Open Brant will be on Saturday, September 26th in 2009.

The St. George Museum & Archives is scheduled to be one of the sites open.

For a complete list of participating sites and local maps, contact Doors Open Brant:
Telephone: 1-800-265-6299
E-mail: billmary68@dtmn.com
Website: www.doorsopenbrant.ca

More site listings are to come, but here is a sneak peek at a few:

Brantford Arts Block/Temple Building
80 Dalhousie Street, Brantford
(519) 753-9400
www.brantfordartsblock.ca
Year Built: 1909
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Brantford’s newest art centre provides gallery space and performance, studio and work areas for artists of all skill levels. The Brantford Arts Block is located in a heritage-designated, Masonic-style building, erected in 1909, that served as the Brantford Masonic Lodge for many years. View never-before-displayed historical photographs of Brantford.

Devlin’s Country Bistro
704 Mount Pleasant Road, Mount Pleasant
(519) 484-2258
www.devlinscountrybistro.com
Year Built: 1834
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This 1834 building was the birthplace of Ontario Premier A.S. Hardy (1896–99). A later owner, F. Foster, operated it as a wholesale grocery store. George Devlin purchased the store from William Eadie and, four generations later, Devlin’s Country Bistro is now a fine-dining restaurant. Lunch available.

Henry Ellis House
693 Mount Pleasant Road, Mount Pleasant
(519) 484-2447
Year Built: 1796
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Built by a Mount Pleasant settler and co-founder in 1796, this building has served as a store and an inn. On August 3, 1876, the first of a series of tests of the telephone was made here. Standing in the store, Alexander Graham Bell heard the voice of his uncle, David Bell, conveyed from the telegraph office in downtown Brantford.

Personal Computer Museum
13 Alma Street, Brantford
(519) 753-8825
www.pcmuseum.ca
Year Built: 1934
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This fascinating museum is located in a 1934 building constructed of reclaimed bricks from the Brantford Opera House. Play with interactive computers dating from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, browse through thousands of magazines and books or try your hand at Pong, one of the first computer-based games, installed on a 1953 Canadian-made Admiral television set.

Riverside Glen Retreat and Healing Centre
357 Brant County Road 18, Brantford
(519) 759-5033
www.riversideglen.com
Year Built: 1905
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Built in 1905 by Fredrick Mann, a prominent coal merchant, this two-and-a-half-storey house is reminiscent of the French country style. On eight acres of Carolinian forest, it overlooks the Grand River and the river’s Oxbow bend. The property has an outdoor labyrinth and a gatehouse studio that is used for yoga, workshops, art exhibits and other events.

Robert Hall Originals Pewter Studio
138 Sugar Maple Road, St. George
(519) 448-1236
www.roberthalloriginals.com
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Observe the ancient art of pewtersmithing in the largest such studio in Ontario, with over 3,000 items on display. Learn about pewter and how it’s created. The showroom is filled with natural rocks, minerals and gemstones from around the world, and with one-of-a-kind gemstone jewellery, crafted and hand-finished on site.

Schell Residence
147 Brant Avenue, Brantford
(519) 446-3200
Year Built: Pre-1875
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
R.S. Schell, manager of Royal Savings and Loan, built this stately High Victorian/Second Empire home sometime before 1875. The most notable features of the two-and-a-half-storey house are the mansard roof clad in octagonal slate and the Edwardian hip roof veranda supported by Tuscan columns. The residence is located in the Brant Avenue Heritage Conservation District.

Six Nations Forest Theatre Pageant
843 Seneca Road, Ohsweken
Year Built: 1948
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Since 1948, people of all races have gathered in this natural outdoor amphitheatre to take a journey back in time, an entertaining history lesson that helps erase the stereotypical image of the Indian and show him as part of a rich, meaningful culture, ignored and misrepresented in recorded history. The presentation of original plays promotes understanding among cultures.

Six Nations GREAT Opportunity Centre
16 Sunrise Court, Ohsweken
Architect: Two Row Architect;
Year Built: 2003
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This innovative, multipurpose community facility, based on a design concept of a group of converging longhouses, was opened in 2003 and pays homage to a traditional longhouse village where all types of activities co-existed. The barrel-vaulted steel structures and linkages serve as focal points for community gatherings, social functions, education and a resource training centre.
Six Nations Heritage Trails
Six Nations Tourism Centre, 2498 Chiefswood Road, Ohsweken
(519) 758-5444
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The trail begins at the tourism centre, adjacent to Chiefswood National Historic Site, home of poet Pauline Johnson. The trail’s natural beauty includes the Carolinian forest with a variety of tree species, medicinal plants used in aboriginal culture, a small marsh and seasonal migratory birds. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the picnic area and exhibits at the tourism centre.

Two Roses Bed & Breakfast
6 Thompson Road, St. George
(519) 448-9999
www.tworosesbnb.com
Year Built: 1880
Dates/Hours Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This elegant mansion, situated on an elevated half-acre with a commanding view from all vantage points, is one of the oldest homes in the area. Known as Braeside, it was built in 1880 for a Mr. Thompson, a successful local businessman. With its striking Victorian architecture, grand ceilings and antique décor, this B&B exudes an inviting, cosy charm.