This is an archived event from Culture Days 2025.
Images
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![A heritage tradesperson demonstrates in front of a crowd of people. They are using a wooden mallet and chisel to collect the power of an old brick.]()
Demonstrating how to collect pigments from an old brick. -
![A table displaying various samples of historic wallpaper. A crowd gathers around as someone speaks.]()
Various wallpaper fragments recovered from the John Brown House Ballroom restoration. -
![A large wooden table is scattered with various pieces of wood, saws, mallets and other tools. A man stands on one side of the table using the tools to demonstrate, while a female visitor stands on the other side of the table watching.]()
A heritage carpenter demonstrates woodworking skills with a visitor.
Heritage Conservation in Action Open House
In-person
Architecture History & heritage Museum Tour Self-guidedDate and time
Location
The Brown Homestead
1317 Pelham Road
St. Catharines, ON
Access
Free, and accepts optional pay-what-you-may donations for admission.
Offered in English.
Has gender-neutral washrooms.
About
Drop by The Brown Homestead to see heritage conservation in action! To celebrate Culture Days, we’re sharing the not-so-secrets of the heritage trades with a special Open House.
You’ll get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look as students of the Willowbank School of Restoration Arts complete their timber framing course on site, building a scissor truss using traditional joinery techniques.
Check out various displays across our site detailing other ongoing adaptive reuse projects, including our 1850s Dairy, studying historic wallpapers and more.
We’ll also have skilled tradespeople and Willowbank staff on site to share more about heritage conservation.
Whether you're a history buff, jack-of-all-trades hobbyist, a DIY enthusiast, or just curious—there’s something here to inspire everyone. Come connect with the stories and skills that shaped our shared heritage.
Links
- Visit our website thebrownhomestead.ca
Organizer
The Brown Homestead
At The Brown Homestead, we believe that historic sites reach their full potential when they are vibrant community spaces that nurture a growing passion for learning. The Brown Homestead is a model of how historic sites can become creative educational leaders and community catalysts, helping to redefine educational paradigms for a changing world.
We are working to ensure that historic site management becomes an integral part of community planning and development.