With all the current talk about the city, this whole month is the Festival of Architecture and Design (FAD). Here is your chance to learn a little bit more about the city you live in. This will be my 3rd year that I'm going to Doors Open and visiting other events in the city.

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Welcome to the 4th annual Festival of Architecture and Design (fAd). This May, fAd puts Toronto’s architecture and design communities in the spotlight with 60 exhibitions, films, lectures, readings and walking tours. Meet local designers and international architects, activists and academics. Discover how architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic design and fashion design work to shape our city and enrich our lives.

2008 Calendar of Events

The main highlight of this festival is the Doors Open event.

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Join Toronto Culture Saturday and Sunday, May 24 & 25, 2008 and renew your faith in Toronto architecture! Multicultural places of worship and Toronto’s National Historic Sites will be in the spotlight during this year’s event, which gives visitors an opportunity to explore over 140 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance; admission is free. Many of the city’s finest churches, chapels, temples, synagogues and mosques are among the featured buildings this year, as well as structures never before open to the public. Music will play a big part in Doors Open Toronto 2008; united under the banner, Sacred Spaces, Sacred Circles, this year’s event is a collaboration with Tafelmusik Orchestra and the Toronto Consort. Organizers will animate a dozen Doors Open Toronto venues with special performances. Official program guides for Doors Open Toronto 2008 will be available in the Toronto Star Thursday, May 22, 2008.

Buildings to visit this year

Enjoy!

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Deviant Art - Smuncky
My Photos on Flickr
If anyone wants to share their clubbing/nightlife pics go to Toronto Nightlife
"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

My plan for this year is to visit these place.

On Saturday
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TTC Harvey Shops


Moriyama & Teshima Architects - 32 Davenport Road


University of Toronto - Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library


University of Toronto - Multi-Faith Centre for Spiritual Study and Practice


Robertson Building


On Sunday
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Distillery Historic District - Yeast Loft Building


Distillery Historic District - Malt Kilns Building and Tunnel


Distillery Historic District - Rack House D


St. Gabriel's Passionist Parish


Ontario Association of Architects

___________________
Deviant Art - Smuncky
My Photos on Flickr
If anyone wants to share their clubbing/nightlife pics go to Toronto Nightlife
"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

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Originally posted by smuncky The main highlight of this festival is the Doors Open event.

I wish some of these buildings would have their doors open to the general public year round. We have some great architecture in this city which unforunately is seldom available to the general public.

Imagine all the places you could take friends and family visiting the city on a weekend if everything were open.

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Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow

Hey Smuncky,

Since you're the architect, will you be conducting guided tours of these places? I mean, I know there will be guides & all, but they're not going ot be pointing things out with an architect's eye.

B/c if I'm able to get out for this, I wouldn't mind having a TA architect tour guide leading the way.

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Originally posted by The Ear Hey Smuncky, Since you're the architect, will you be conducting guided tours of these places? I mean, I know there will be guides & all, but they're not going ot be pointing things out with an architect's eye. B/c if I'm able to get out for this, I wouldn't mind having a TA architect tour guide leading the way.

unfortuently, i will not. some of these places have tours at certain times of the day and some places you can only access with a guide. other places have self guided tours.

if someone has never been to doors open before, i recommend going to see the Toronto Dominion tower. you get a fully guided tour on the 54th floor of the building which goes through the board room, offices, and the restaurant. the views out are quite good too. however, there is usual a line up for this and the wait can be up to 30min.

some of the places i'd recommend to go see is either one of the green roofs at 401 richmond, Mountain Equipment Co-op, or Robertson Building. i've been to the one at 401 richmond and it has a really nice view. i'm sure the others do as well.

city hall is a cool place to go to. you can access the obeservation deck which is normally closed. close to that is the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. my personal opinion of it changed when i went and experienced it from the inside. Lower bay station is a pretty neat place to see the "ghost" station which is normally closed off to the public. the distillery is a good place to visit since there a couple of places too see there all close to each other.

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Deviant Art - Smuncky
My Photos on Flickr
If anyone wants to share their clubbing/nightlife pics go to Toronto Nightlife
"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

Ughhhhhhhhhh I wanted to go so bad this year b/c I missed it last year. I'm out of the country though This'll have to wait another year - hopefully it's not the American long weekend again either b/c I'll be at DEMF since I missed THAT the last 2 years!

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Shut up and DANCE!!
House moves my body, Trance owns my soul, Progressive drives me wild

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Originally posted by *~LiSa-LoO~* Ughhhhhhhhhh I wanted to go so bad this year b/c I missed it last year. I'm out of the country though This'll have to wait another year - hopefully it's not the American long weekend again either b/c I'll be at DEMF since I missed THAT the last 2 years!

this always happens during the month of may and doors open is usually around the same dates (the 3rd weekend in may)

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Deviant Art - Smuncky
My Photos on Flickr
If anyone wants to share their clubbing/nightlife pics go to Toronto Nightlife
"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

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Originally posted by smuncky this always happens during the month of may and doors open is usually around the same dates (the 3rd weekend in may)

I think for a city as big as Toronto with a lot to offer at doors open, they should make it 2 weekends! I'm pretty sure there are a couple of city's that have 2 weekends. I could be wrong though.

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Shut up and DANCE!!
House moves my body, Trance owns my soul, Progressive drives me wild

There are actually a lot of Doors Open events all around the world.

A post from Flickr.

Canadian Sites
Heritage Canada www.doorsopencanada.ca/
Ontario www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/
Alberta www.doorsopenalberta.com/
Newfoundland and Labrador www.doorsopendays.com/

US Sites
Lowell, MA www.doorsopenlowell.org/
New York www.ohny.org
Chicago Great Chicago Places & Spaces"
Denver www.denvergov.org/doorsopendenver
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania www.friendsofgettysburg.org/doorsopensection.htm

Rest of the World
Scotland (the Original) www.doorsopendays.org.uk/
London, England www.openhouselondon.org
Wales and Northern Ireland www.heritagedays.net

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Deviant Art - Smuncky
My Photos on Flickr
If anyone wants to share their clubbing/nightlife pics go to Toronto Nightlife
"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

I won't be making it, but Alex I cannot wait to see your pics.

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Ooooooh.

Thanks for tips, altough I'll be predisposed to seeking out some of the places you listsed on your intinerary, the observation deck at city sounds quite interesting.

Although, who the hell has an observation deck that's closed? Seriously not much observing going on then is there?