City's sites swing doors wide open

09/26/2005

BY Susan Gamble
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD

About 4,000 people visit cultural icons, including Brantford Club

As kids, Edna Murray could only gaze at the formidable exterior of the Brantford Club as she passed it on her trips to the public library.

Saturday, she walked into the post for-men-only club and found out what all the fuss had been about.
“I could handle this,” Murray said as she and her husband, John, wandered through the elegant dining room with gleaming brass chandeliers.

The Brantford Club – once a male only bastion of Brantford’s upper class – was just one of the local heritage or cultural icons open to the public through the third annual Doors Open Brant event.

Fourteen sites, including church buildings, city hall, a former brownfield property and private residences, opened their doors to the curious public, who responded with enthusiasm.

“I love this idea,” said Murray. “When we looked at the brochure, this was our first selection.”

The club – closed for 100 years to women – welcomed one and all on Saturday to let the public explore the leather-couched dens and framed mementoes, including Winston Churchill’s signature from a visit during the early 1900s.

“Very posh,” said Randi Scott, as he and Jim Spence dashed from site to site on a quest to see at least half of the Open Doors spots.

“That’s the first time in my life I’ve been in the Brantford Club,” said Spence.

“This is a good program because you should know about your city.”

But the event posed two problems for Ron and Barbara Myers: fitting in a visit to each spot and choosing a favourite.

“It would be a toss-up between Hamilton Place or the Brown residence in Paris,” said Barbara.

“Or the Presbyterian Church because of the wonderful stained glass, or Drake Memorial Church.”

“Really,” added her husband, “this should be over two days because it’s hard to get around to everything.”

Offering an abundance of interesting choices is just what the Open Door selection committee was trying to do.

Aimed mainly at adults, the tour include variety of sites, from the Cockshutt memorabilia display to the farm art studio of Marsha Edgars. For kids, there was a bouncy gym, face-painting and a Big Brother barbecue at the old Harding Carpets project – now known as the Holmedale Business Centre.

The Open Doors launch, which took place at the Morrell Street site, included the opening of King and Benton’s Holmedale Heritage Community Room, which contains artefacts and photos of the business complex that was built in sections from 1916 to 1986.

Other sites included Riverview Terrace, which is now a retirement home, Six Nations Veterans park and the Shriner’s Club on Colborne.