For fans of Ottawa’s heritage and contemporary architecture, the first weekend of June is one of the highlights of the local day tripping year. That’s because an event called Doors Open Ottawa invites the curious to tour dozens of buildings all over the city, some of which are rarely open to the public. (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the Doors Open Ottawa advisory committee. But honestly, I was recommending the event to people for years before I joined.)
Enjoy Doors Open Ottawa
During Doors Open Ottawa, taking place on June 3 and 4 in 2023, you’ll be able to peek inside embassies, churches, utility company infrastructure, restored landmarks and more. The list is still being finalized, but you can check the event’s website closer to the date to find out which buildings will be accessible.
If you can’t make it to Doors Open, or if it just whets your appetite for learning about buildings, you’re in luck—there are lots of other opportunities to discover architecture in Ottawa, on a day trip or on a weekend getaway.
Explore Ottawa’s architecture further
You could start with a great book called Exploring the Capital: An Architectural Guide to the Ottawa-Gatineau Region by Andrew Waldron, which outlines a series of 11 building-focused walking and driving tours in the region. It covers buildings and structures both old and new—for example, in the chapter on the Glebe, Old Ottawa South and Alta Vista, you’ll find everything from the Firehall Community Centre and the Bank Street Bridge to the new apartment towers at Lansdowne Park and the 1960s VIA Rail train station. Other itineraries include routes through Centretown, New Edinburgh, Hull and Nepean.
Heritage Ottawa is an excellent source of information and events related to the city’s historic buildings. From June through October, the group offers 90-minute walking tours of various neighbourhoods, at a cost of $15 for Heritage Ottawa members and $25 for non-members. You must register and pay in advance on the organization’s website. In cooler months, you can attend free lectures.
Discover North Grenville’s historic buildings
For those interested in taking an architecture-focused day trip beyond the capital, several Eastern Ontario communities have published guides to their historic homes and public buildings. Explore North Grenville, just south of Ottawa, has online guides to Kemptville and the villages of Bishops Mills, Burritts Rapids, Heckston, Oxford Mills, Oxford Station and Peltons Corners. Fun fact: The library branch in Burritts Rapids is located in what was once a bridge master’s house, next to a hand-operated swing bridge across the Rideau Canal built in 1897.
Take a heritage walking tour in Mississippi Mills
West of Ottawa, the Municipality of Mississippi Mills has downloadable heritage walking tour guides to four of its constituent communities—Almonte, Pakenham, Clayton and Appleton. They include lots of detail on residences, homes, churches and bridges; for instance, the Almonte guide delves into the history of several former woollen mills that have been converted to condos and other uses.
Visit the Canadian Centre for Architecture
Further afield, I highly recommend the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. Founded by architect Phyllis Lambert, the centre was constructed around an 1874 mansion called Shaughnessy House, which Lambert bought and restored to save it from demolition.
The centre takes a global and eclectic view of architecture. Its current exhibition, called The Lives of Documents—Photography as Project (running until March 3, 2024), examines the way that photography has been used to document and study the built environment. And a fascinating essay currently on its website, Misperforming Road Ecologies, examines the impact of the construction of a Brazilian highway on the people who built it, the residents it displaced and the ecology it traverses.
Join a Jane’s Walk
Finally, if you’re thinking ahead to next year, watch out for Jane’s Walk Ottawa in early May. This annual weekend of free walking tours focuses on city life—not surprisingly, as it was inspired by urbanist Jane Jacobs. Walks take place at different times of year in cities around the world. See the international Jane’s Walk website for details.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.