Doors Open Canada: Celebrating our Architectural Heritage

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Although Doors Open encourages the exploration of architectural heritage available at residents' doorsteps, the event inevitably attracts visitors excited by the prospect of exploring a town or city by travelling through its buildings. However, concerns regarding how best to promote the event have arisen alongside its success. Should the event emphasize community pride and awareness or its cultural tourism potential?

Brian Anthony argues it can be a bit of both. "Philosophically and practically speaking, the event comes from a community's desire to celebrate its own heritage and its success is dependent upon the willingness of local building owners and volunteers to participate. On the other hand, if a community wants to marry it up with a cultural tourism message, it can."

Karen Black of the City of Toronto's Culture Division agrees. "Every community needs to organize its event its own way. The key elements that must be maintained for Doors Open to succeed are free admission and local organization. Directives should not come from an external body."

As is the case in Europe and participating Ontario towns and cities to date, Heritage Canada anticipates that Doors Open events across the country will be organized by local municipalities, heritage groups, historical societies, arts centres, museums and galleries, the private sector, Chambers of Commerce and individual owners. They should not be managed from a centralized overseeing office—be that office provincial or national. "Each community must decide how to focus its own event," stresses Mr. Anthony.

Heritage Canada's primary role in overseeing a Doors Open Canada program will be an inspirational and promotional one focusing on the principles of access, awareness and advocacy. Municipal councils and civic societies then take the lead and invite other local voluntary organizations and owners to join them. The foundation will work to ensure a high profile for the events by providing accurate and timely details on the Web site. Heritage Canada has registered the Doors Open Canada domain name for Internet use that will link to other Web sites in Canada and abroad.

Although the details of Heritage Canada's role continue to be developed, areas of support will likely include assistance with fostering local media relations and advice on such aspects of the event as insurance, health and safety, accessibility, and educational opportunities.

Architecture—old and new—is an excellent resource providing occasions for teachers to develop an awareness of buildings. The Doors Open experience in the United Kingdom and elsewhere has shown that educational prospects abound. Built heritage provides an ideal opportunity for students to engage in their culture, to explore themselves and their communities by exploring their past. Heritage Canada believes Doors Open has great potential in a Canadian education context; it can become a useful resource for the classroom.

Examples of successful programs developed by the Scottish Civic Trust include twinning with schools in other participating towns and cities—sharing photographic exhibitions and essays describing one's place to another. Similarly, London Open House has placed special emphasis on promoting an understanding and appreciation of the built environment with children and young people. Junior Open House was developed—a scheme involving over 15 inner-city schools—bringing students into contact with the most inspiring architecture that surrounds them. Research collected from visits is then explored in greater detail back in the classroom. The initiative was produced in consultation with the participating teachers and architects and complies with all the school curriculum guidelines.

Doors Open events also harness a tremendous voluntary effort and enthusiasm, offering a unique opportunity for cultural organizations to explain their role in protecting built heritage. Hundreds of volunteers in participating communities gave their time as members of organizing committees and as on-site volunteers during the events. In 2002, Toronto organizers developed a high school peer-mentoring program, taking advantage of the provincially mandated forty-hour community service for all secondary students in Ontario. Students responded positively to the experience and were enthusiastic about learning the history of their assigned buildings. Six high school principals helped to co-ordinate the program that partnered students with veteran Doors Open Toronto volunteers for the weekend.

The success of the events in Ontario, Europe and the U.K. is linked to their ability to capture and hold on to the purity of the principles of access, awareness and advocacy.

Although national organizations provide inspiration and develop supportive material and some education-related programming opportunities, they do not attempt to consolidate the management of the events at the national level. The events remain locally based in terms of organization, funding, and marketing.

Doors Open has come to North America to stay—cities in the United States have contacted Toronto organizers for information, including New York City—and the Heritage Canada Foundation is enthusiastic about spearheading its promotion across the country.

Heritage Canada will be officially launching Doors Open Canada at the upcoming Annual Conference in Halifax. The logo design, currently under development, will be unveiled at that time with associated material about the event for early distribution.

Any Canadian town or city is encouraged to contact the foundation for information on how best to proceed with bringing Doors Open to their community.

Carolyn Quinn is a member of the Doors Open Ottawa organizing committee and chair of its buildings sub-committee.

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