The Binational Tourism Alliance and Ontario Heritage Trust invite you to attend the First Canadian / American Doors Open Symposium - "Doors Open - Reflecting on the Past and Planning for the Future" on Friday, November 21, 2008 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Click here for more details and registration form. A special overnight accommodation rate of $99.00 plus taxes is available at the Hilton Garden Inn by calling 1-866-777-9877 and asking for the "Doors Open Symposium" rate.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2008 Doors Open / Niagara By Design program - the Sponsors, Volunteers, Speakers, participating Sites, and of course the Visitors! We will be continuing with our Niagara By Design Speaker and Movie Series throughout the year. More details to follow.
Doors Open Niagara 2009 will take place on October 17 & 18. If you wish to be a participating site or volunteer, please contact us as soon as possible.
Please note that the Niagara By Design Speaker Evening at Southbrook Vineyards on Friday, October 17th with Jack Diamond is POSTPONED due to illness. New date is to be advised.
Doors Open Weekend 2008 is October 18th and 19th!
For Select Subscribers, look for your copy of the 2008 Niagara By Design / Binational Doors Open Niagara event guide in this Saturday's (Oct. 11) Standard, Review and Tribune as well as this Sunday's (Oct. 12) Buffalo News. Also available at Visitor Centers and participating Doors Open Sites.
Download the complete 2008 NIAGARA BY DESIGN / BINATIONAL DOORS OPEN NIAGARA event guide here!
The inspiration for DOORS OPEN NIAGARA had its origins in France where the first Doors Open event (La Journee Portes Ouvertes) took place in 1984. The idea soon spread to neighboring countries and has since expanded around the globe. Toronto was the first North American city to follow the European lead and launched a high profile event showcasing constructed heritage, architecture and design as a millennium project in 2000.
Using the Toronto model, the Ontario Heritage Foundation launched Doors Open Ontario in 2002. Standing out in the list of participating communities in that inaugural year, binational DOORS OPEN NIAGARA featured towns and villages on both sides of the international boundary, opening heritage properties for all to see, and in many cases, for the first time! Each year, the Foundation publishes a full color catalog featuring all Doors Open communities including twenty of the DOORS OPEN NIAGARA sites. The catalog is distributed throughout Canada, as well as internationally. Information about all participating sites is available at www.doorsopenontario.on.ca.
DOORS OPEN NIAGARA is organized by a steering committee of volunteers from both Canada and the United States in association with the Binational Tourism Alliance (BTA). The BTA is a tourism product and infrastructure development and training organization. It has been working with tourism, cultural and hospitality partners in the binational region since 2001 to develop the cross-border region into an internationally recognized, year-round cultural tourism destination.
A variety of special events will highlight the wealth of both old and new architecture and design in this region by introducing exciting new elements of design, indoor and outdoor landscaping, environmental and reuse projects, into the heritage and architecture mix that Doors Open Niagara has always celebrated.
"The Art of Architecture" is the theme of this year's DOORS OPEN NIAGARA, with a special emphasis on discovering art in and around historically and architecturally significant sites. Among the types of art visitors can encounter are:
- Architectural: interior and exterior construction and architectural details; examples of rare design styles
- Fine Art Collections: galleries and exhibits contained in many sites as well as permanent art collections
- Decorative Art: interior decor; original and reproduction furnishings and antiques
- Historical Art: memorabilia, folk art, historical artifacts
- Mechanical Art: antique machinery and equipment, tools, vehicles and engineering marvels
- Horticultural & Landscape: formal gardens, labyrinths, picturesque grounds
Participating sites include elegant residences and inns, churches containing magnificent stained glass windows, Industrial Age factories, municipal buildings, museums, schoolhouses, and sites that played a role in the Underground Railroad. A wide variety of architectural styles are represented including 18th and early 19th century stone and log structures, homes and buildings crafted in the Victorian, Neo-Classical, Art Deco, Italianate and Greek Revival styles, and churches of Romanesque and Gothic Revival design. Many of the sites in both the U.S. and Canada are registered as National Historic landmarks and others played important roles in the history of both countries.
NEW FOR 2008:
This year take the Bike Train to Doors Open Niagara 2008. The Bike Train is a new sustainable transportation initiative that has opened up the Niagara region to Toronto cyclists. By adding a special baggage car to select VIA Rail departures between Toronto and Niagara Falls Stations, the Bike Train allows up to 56 cyclists per train to travel to Niagara hassle free.
Cycling is a great way to experience Doors Open Niagara. Bicycle from site to site and see all that Niagara has to offer on two wheels. Return trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls is $59, including passenger ticket, fees and bicycle transport. Schedule and reservation information is available at www.biketrain.ca
Download the complete 2008 NIAGARA BY DESIGN / BINATIONAL DOORS OPEN NIAGARA event guide here!
