Doors Open welcomes new sites

July 17, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Vanessa Hicks, Heritage Planner
The Town of Aurora

The 8th annual Doors Open Aurora event takes place on Saturday, August 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is your chance to become a tourist in your own backyard. Participation is free; no tickets or reservations required! Come out and join thousands of visitors exploring Aurora’s hidden treasures, many of which are not normally open to the public. DoorsOpen_Blue

Doors Open Aurora welcomes back community favourites such as the Aurora Public Library, the Aurora Armoury, Hillary House & Koffler Museum of Medicine, Aurora United Church, Merlin’s Hollow, the Benjamin Stephenson House, and the Charles Henry Sheppard House.

This year, Doors Open features a number of exciting new sites including Horton Place and the Tailor’s House.

Horton Place, located at 15342 Yonge Street, is an extremely well-preserved example of the Italianate architectural style, built for Dr. Alfred Robinson and his family and named after their ancestral home in Yorkshire, England.

Dr. Robinson was a dental surgeon who worked throughout York Region. The building was purchased in 1901 by the Webster-McIntyre family and remained in the same family for over 100 years. The building has remained remarkably unchanged.

The Tailor’s House, located at 38 Wellington Street East, is an excellent example of the Neo-Classical architectural style. Built in 1862, this building has only 500 sq. ft. on each floor and was constructed by Edward Andrews for his family which included his wife Mary and eleven children.
The house was owned by the Andrews family for 116 years. The building was renovated for various commercial uses starting in 1988. Today, the Tailor’s House now houses a boutique-style bridal shop known as “The Gown.”

Don’t miss your chance to tour each of the new sites participating in this year’s 8th annual Doors Open Aurora event and enjoy our local heritage.
Stay tuned for more information on Doors Open Aurora 2013 in The Auroran in the coming weeks!

For additional information about new sites featured at this year’s Doors Open Aurora event or to volunteer, please visit www.aurora.ca/doorsopen2013. Download the Volunteer Application Form and send it to us! Contact information is available on the Application Form.