A concert at a water treatment plant, a behind-the-scenes brewery tour and six more things to check out at Doors Open 2017

A concert at a water treatment plant, a behind-the-scenes brewery tour and six more things to check out at Doors Open 2017

To mark Canada’s sesquicentennial, this year’s edition of Doors Open features—you guessed it—150 different locations across the city. The public walkabout, running all weekend, centres around the theme of Fifteen Decades of Canadian Architecture and includes 20 new spots. Here, some best bets from the roster.

For music geeks
R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant

1Indie concert organizers Wavelength are throwing three separate shows on Saturday afternoon, strung together by bike tours. The highlight: noise-rock quartet Fresh Snow’s noontime performance outside the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, with a stellar view of Lake Ontario. Saturday. 2701 Queen St. E.

 

For architecture fans
The Great Hall

2After a lengthy renovation, Queen West’s Great Hall debuted its beautifully revamped concert space and bright new side rooms last year. This is your chance to check out the new digs, as well as listen in on a panel about women working in Canadian architecture and design. Sunday. 1087 Queen St. W.

 

For thrill seekers
Basecamp Climbing

3During Open Doors, visitors to Basecamp—a former adult movie theatre turned bustling climbing gym—get one free climb, on a first-come-first-served basis. The draw for many locals, however, will will likely be the photography exhibit on the mezzanine floor, which documents the space’s transformation. Saturday and Sunday. 677 Bloor St. W.

 

For old souls
JAZZ.FM91

4The not-for-profit, all-jazz radio station offers guided tours, live performances in the performance hall and the opportunity for guests to watch a show as it’s recorded live between noon and 4 p.m. The Liberty Village loft features some stunning original brick and houses the Canadian Jazz Archives. Saturday and Sunday. 4 Pardee Ave.

 

Photograph courtesy of Mill Street Brewery
For brew enthusiasts
Mill Street Brew Pub

5Suckers for suds can visit the original Mill Street Brewery in the Distillery Historic District for a brewery tour and get a post-tour crash course on brewing tools and techniques. Parents can rest easy: Mill Street offers homemade root beer floats to keep little ones quenched. Saturday and Sunday. 21 Tankhouse Ln.

 

For crafty types
StackLab

6You might spot the furniture that gets made at StackLab in a store, but it’s not often you get a chance to watch it actually get created. Visitors can get a glimpse into a day in the life at this open-concept luxury design warehouse, where they’ll be able to check out prototypes and works in progress and learn about crafting techniques from the artisans. Saturday and Sunday. 442 Dufferin St.

 

Photograph courtesy of interiorimages.ca
For history and art aficionados
Noor Cultural Centre

7Once the home of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, this modernist building is now an Islamic cultural hub, with lanterns and wooden latticework that feature Islamic symbols and geometric patterns. Guests will learn how elements of the building’s architecture and design link Japanese and Islamic Canadians, and how that fostered a relationship between the two cultures. Saturday and Sunday. 123 Wynford Dr.

 

For something hands-on
Design Workshop Architects

8Design Workshop Architects will let visitors join their team for a one-off interactive design session—just be prepared to sketch. The firm’s employees will describe a project and the hypothetical specs, and guests will draw up their own blueprints. For an added dose of inspiration, images and models from DWA’s repository of current and past projects will be on display. Saturday and Sunday. 507 King St. E.