It’s now official. St. John’s is opening its doors for “Doors Open Toronto” on May 27 and 28. For those unfamiliar with “Doors Open Toronto,” here’s an intro,
“Each May, Doors Open Toronto invites the public to explore the city’s most-loved buildings and sites, free of charge. The event provides rare access to buildings that are not usually open to the public and free access to sites that would usually charge an admission fee. Since its inception in 2000, it has attracted more than two million visits to nearly 700 unique locations and remains the largest event of its kind in Canada.”
St. John’s first participated in Doors Open Toronto, officially, 20 years ago in 2003, but opened its doors unofficially in 2002, following a successful Open House event that unveiled our colourful interior makeover. For a report on our 2002 Doors Open experience, see the June 2002 edition of “St. John’s Journal,” on page 15,
St. John’s colours and distinctive collection of stained-glass windows were the focus of our Doors Open 2003 experience. A special booklet was produced, “Open Doors and Open Windows: A Contemplative Guide to the Windows at St. John’s Church, West Toronto,” which can be seen here,
For Doors Open 2003, our welcome sign stressed our open approach in a different way: “You don't have to buy into the whole package to walk through the doors....” A total of 450 people walked through our doors that year.
St. John’s also participated in Doors Open Toronto in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and in 2008.
The theme for Doors Open Toronto 2023 is “City of Sound.” We thus plan to highlight St. John’s superior acoustics through our music and voices today, and how music has been integral to St. John’s over its century on Humberside Ave.
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Contact Christopher Rutty – hhrs@healthheritageresearch.com – with your historical contributions in support of the SJWT-100th, and to volunteer to help out with Doors Open Toronto, as well other special activities and events being planned to celebrate St. John’s 100 years on Humberside.
To learn more about our rich history, visit: http://sjwt.ca/100th
