The annual Doors Open Toronto event consistently finds new and interesting places to look behind the scenes in buildings and locations, both famous and obscure.

(Added May 8, 2014): Doors Open 2014 in Toronto will run Saturday and Sunday, May 24-25, 2014 with a “Secrets and Spirits” theme. I haven’t had the time to check the details yet, but the official site link still works. After a quick check, I noticed that the Jing Yin Temple and at least one Sufi centre are participating again, although the Evangel Hall Mission seems to be missing. The rest of this article was written in 2013, so you should confirm your open doors on the official site.

The 2013 Doors Open Toronto continues this process. I’m going to highlight new locations, and focus specifically on several locations where people usually gather to worship.

The Guildwood Park and Guild Inn site is a gratuity, simply because I have a map handy from “Arts, Crafts and Entertainment at Guildwood Toronto in 2012“. It seemed important to provide some geographic context for that annual Toronto summer event. For Doors Open Toronto, the outdoor-only Guild Park tour starts at 10am, noon and 2pm on Sunday May 26.

Basic Information about Doors Open Toronto in 2013

What is Doors Open Toronto?

Doors Open Toronto literally opens the doors of many Toronto buildings to the general public, providing a glimpse of their inner workings for one weekend.

Note that the Guildwood Park tour is an exception, since the whole tour stays outside.

When is 2013 Doors Open Toronto?

Toronto Doors Open 2013 runs on Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26, 2013. Check the official site, linked below, for the exact date and times for the locations you want to visit. Some are only open one day or the other.

Also check whether the location has guided tours at specific times, or is open for you to wander through at your own pace.

Two Guidelines for Doors Open Toronto

Always click the links for official information so you can follow two guidelines for Doors Open Toronto:

1. Be on time for tours, and on the correct date(s).
2. Does this venue permit photography, or not?

Does Doors Open Toronto Focus on Churches?

No, Toronto Doors Open has a huge variety of buildings, from civic infrastructure through arts and culture and religion, to schools or monuments.

This article simply follows one of many possible unifying themes. Last year I covered “Three Themes for Doors Open Toronto 2012” which did include churches.

Several New Locations for Doors Open Toronto in 2013: Places of Worship

It’s certainly not the first year for Doors Open Toronto to include places of worship; but let’s note some of the new venues. This section is organized alphabetically by religion and venue; my apologies for any that I missed.

A Buddhist Temple for Doors Open Toronto

The Jing Yin Temple at 722 Brimley Road hosts visitors on both Saturday and Sunday. They are about mid-way between Eglinton Ave. East and Lawrence Ave. East. My first glance at the photograph made me say “Pagoda?”, but the title is “Temple”. You can experience chanting sessions at specific times.

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Christian Churches Newly Hosting 2013 Doors Open Toronto

The Evangel Hall Mission, at 552 Adelaide St. West, will only be open Sunday for four tours. The external architecture is fascinating and “unabashedly contemporary”. Check the official site (below) just to see the picture; it looks as though one half is stuck to the other and may fall at any moment.

Visit the First Church of Christ, Scientist at 196 George St. on Saturday only. Again, there are four guided tours.

The Interfaith Communities of South Etobicoke offers nine different places to worship, including the Canadian Sufi Cultural Centre which had previously been a Pentecostal church.

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church is also only open to Doors Open Toronto visitors on Saturday. 1 Greenland Drive is just off The Donway, south of Don Mills Collegiate Institute. (Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East is the nearest main intersection; this church is on the south-east portion of the Donway loop).

Islam, the Sufism Branch

I’ve noted Interfaith Communities of South Etobicoke : the Canadian Sufi Cultural Centre above.

Judaism in Doors Open Toronto

The Beach Hebrew Institute at 109 Kenilworth Avenue (off Queen Street East in the Beach neighbourhood), is a Jewish synagogue of long standing. The building began as a Baptist church for evangelical Christians. While there are no specific tours, they offer a concert from 11-12:30 on Sunday. It will not be open to the public on Saturday.

The First Narayever Congregation is also only open on Sunday, at 187 Brunswick Avenue. It’s north of Harbord Street, and halfway between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. Tours are available but “not scheduled”. The building began as a “Foresters Hall”, no doubt built by the Independent Order of Foresters; it also served as a Mennonite church until 1943. (This is not a new listing, but it’s the first time I’ve noticed it).

Sufism

I’ve noted Interfaith Communities of South Etobicoke : the Canadian Sufi Cultural Centre above.

The Official Toronto City Hall Web Page for Doors Open 2013

(Updated May 22, 2013): The official 2013 Doors Open Toronto web page has far more than one hundred venues, alphabetically from “401 Richmond Street West” downtown and “Applewood, The Shaver Homestead” at 450 The West Mall through “Zeidler Partnership Architects Office” on Queen St. West and “Zion Church Cultural Centre” on Finch Ave. East.

Surprisingly, the Metro Toronto Zoo does not seem to participate in Toronto Doors Open this year. For a behind the scenes visit to the Metro Zoo in Toronto, check the Zoo Education and Camps page. Schools and day camps might be able to arrange special tours or educational visits to the zoo for their classes or groups.

Bonus Information: the Centre Island Ferry Schedule for Doors Open Toronto

The Artscape Gilbratar Point venue is new for 2013 Doors Open Toronto. It’s on Centre Island, and is only open on Sunday. The bonus information is the official summer Centre Island Toronto ferry schedule web page. Note that the Toronto Island ferries switch to their summer schedule just one day before Doors Open 2013 begins. That’s my excuse for tagging this article with “Toronto Summer Events”.

Looking for More Annual Toronto Events?

Do you crave more events in Toronto?

Things to do in Toronto

Check the “annual events” or “Toronto events” categories toward the end of the left-hand menu. We’d especially like to cover all Toronto summer attractions, and indeed all special events in Toronto; especially for Canadian holidays.

CityPASS offers discount tickets to Toronto attractions, including the Metro Toronto Zoo. You buy the voucher online, print it and take it to your first destination; let’s say it’s the zoo. They give you the coupon booklet but remove the zoo tickets. Visit the next four attractions, where helpful staff relieve your booklet of tickets but leave you with the rest of the information. You save over $40 by spending about $70. The voucher is good for almost two years, but you have to use all the discount admission tickets within nine days. This is terrific for tourists looking for multiple things to do in Toronto, or for a hometown stay-cation: use discount tickets to Casa Loma, the CN Tower, Metro Toronto Zoo, Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum in a nine day adventure. That’s five things to do in Toronto, and at a bargain price!

Disclaimer: DeHaan Services has no relationship to the organizer(s); I am not reimbursed for writing this article. However, DeHaan Services does write web site or advertising copy for clients. Our skills are demonstrated in online articles in Decoded Science and Decoded Pregnancy. That’s why DeHaan Services highlights these online articles on this site.

Thanks for reading about some of the new venues for Doors Open Toronto 2013.