About Doors Open

Doors Open Alberta raises the profile of Alberta’s rich architectural heritage by encouraging urban and rural communities to open the doors to buildings of all types—past and present—to the general public. This includes domestic, commercial, industrial, religious, educational, cultural and institutional buildings—both publicly and privately owned. Each community establishes its own committee to determine size, nature, scope and timing of the event and the people and funds required to organize an event.

This initiative is becoming a major province-wide celebration of community heritage. While the focus is on the architectural or built heritage, all aspects of heritage benefit from the heightened public awareness. Doors Open Alberta engages students and teachers, families, community heritage and cultural organizations, various levels of government, corporations and businesses, educational institutions and hospitals, and the general public in their heritage. Space becomes place with a resulting sense of ownership and pride.

Doors Open Alberta creates an opportunity for heritage organizations to work together to foster public understanding and support for heritage, increase awareness of architectural heritage and the broad gamut of people involved in the construction, use, maintenance and preservation of such structures. This enables greater understanding of legislation pertaining to built heritage as well as increased individual and corporate intent to comply.

While provincial and federal legislation and, in some instances, municipal legislation exists, many municipalities are not fully engaged in proactively preserving their built heritage. Doors Open events are community based and this allows municipalities to take ownership and strengthen ties with heritage organizations. Building positive relationships with a range of partners external to the heritage community will help to ensure that built heritage is important to all of us—from the professional associations that represent those involved in the design, building, sale, regulation and use of buildings, to all users of such structures.