Stewart & Witton 150 self-guided walking tour for Doors Open Hamilton
Happy George Hamilton Day! Every August Civic Holiday, Hamilton nods to its namesake, George Hamilton, by celebrating the year’s Famous Hamiltonian. It’s a great opportunity to look back at the St. Giles architects’ starring role in Doors Open Hamilton 2022.
Fun fact: Stewart & Witton were recently in the running for Famous Hamiltonian of the Year! In 2020, when residents voted to celebrate a Hamiltonian architect or architecture firm, Stewart & Witton made the shortlist.
The Friends of St. Giles were thrilled to include our first Stewart & Witton walking tour as part of Doors Open Hamilton!
Dr. Sarah Sheehan, spokesperson and founding member of the Friends of St. Giles, was co-chair of the event with Janice Brown of ACO Hamilton.
The theme for Doors Open Hamilton 2022 was Design, so it was fitting that all four buildings on this self-guided tour were designed by the prominent and talented Hamilton architects, Walter Wilson Stewart & William Palmer Witton. Both born in 1871, Stewart & Witton created many of Hamilton’s most cherished landmarks — beautifully designed, architectural gems like St. Giles church, the Playhouse Cinema, and many others.
Printed tour maps were available over the weekend at Doors Open Hamilton sites and tours in Ward 3, including the Playhouse Cinema, which is on the tour.
View on the Doors Open Ontario website
(Download Doors Open Hamilton materials in PDF: map | brochure)
Read more on our Stewart & Witton 150th anniversary site!
Based in Hamilton’s Ward 3, the Friends of St. Giles are a group of neighbours and residents leading the community-based effort to save Stewart & Witton’s masterpiece, St. Giles church. Since early 2021, the Friends have been advocating in favour of green adaptive reuse of the church building, both as a municipal tool for climate action and for preserving the precious architecture, history, and community space that St. Giles represents.
friendsofstgiles.ca | @StGilesFriends | #SaveStGiles #StewartWitton150
Friends of St. Giles 