old location of the Guelph Civic Museum (5) which will soon The Route become a centre for arts & culture. 18 Turning right on Dublin street, you are following the eastern border 17 16 14 of the downtown core. Continue to walk up the hill until you see a concrete staircase on your right. These stairs will take you up to 7 15 the Church of Our Lady Immaculate (6), the most recognizable 13 landmark in the City of Guelph. Its construction took place between 1875 and 1883, although the two towers weren’t finished until 1926, 6 8 well after it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 9 1990. The City of Guelph’s zoning by-laws establish “protected view 10 areas” that are designed to ensure clear sight lines to the Church of Our Lady from various vantage points in the downtown core. On the hill you will also find the new location of theGuelph Civic 1 3 11 Museum (7). Opened in February 2012, it is housed in the old 2 12 Loretto Convent, which was home to a boarding school run by the Loretto Sisters until 1924. Here, you can discover the people 5 and events that have shaped Guelph’s history through interactive displays and traveling exhibits. 4 Walk down the stairs at the front of the church and continue down MacDonell Street. This street is home to many historic buildings, such as the Albion Hotel (8) on the north corner of the intersection Welcome to Guelph! The name Guelph comes from the Italian loss and a living wall to improve indoor air quality. Large windows of Norfolk and MacDonell. The building’s earliest incarnation was Guelfo and the Bavarian-Germanic Welf. It is a reference to the on every floor maximize the amount of natural light that enters the built in 1856 and it is the holder of the second-oldest liquor license reigning British monarch at the time Guelph was founded, King building, and reduces the need for daytime lighting. in Ontario. In 1913, rooms rented for $1.50 per day, including choice George IV, hence our nickname ‘The Royal City’. of wine, liquors or cigars and first-class stable accommodation. East of City Hall, toward Wyndham St, is the old city hall building, Rumours persist that mobster Al Capone, or another notorious Your tour begins in Market Square (1). In the 1800’s, this space which is now home to the Provincial Courthouse (3). Out front, gangster, kept a mistress at the hotel during the 1920’s and that served as Guelph’s central meeting place and market area. The you will find the bust of John Galt, Guelph’s founder. she still occasionally haunts the building. beautiful, new Market Square is a contemporary version of the original and is ideal for hosting festivals, concerts and community To continue your tour, turn left down Wilson Street. You will walk ‘Medical Hall’ (9), on the corner of MacDonell and Wyndham, was events. The central feature is an outdoor skating rink in winter and underneath a railway bridge and see the Guelph Farmer’s Market originally built to house an apothacary and spent a few decades as interactive water fountain in the summer. (4) on your left. For many Guelph residents, visiting the Farmer’s a bank before its current incarnation as a Frank & Stein’s Sports Market is a regular activity on Saturday mornings. Bar. Many bars, pubs and clubs can be found along MacDonell Serving as a backdrop for Market Square is the new City Hall Street and when the sun sets, it is home to a vibrant nightlife. building (2). Designed by the same architects as the River Run You are now at the intersection of Norfolk St and Wilson St/Waterloo At the north-east corner of Wyndham and MacDonnell is the Centre, the new building incorporates the historic Winter Fair Wall, Ave. To your right, you can see the large sign for downtown Guelph Wellington Building (10). Built in 1877, this building is known for which is what you see behind the fountain or ice rink. It is the only on the side of the railway bridge and the tops of the towers of its unusual triangular shape. remnant of a building constructed in 1900 to house the Ontario the Church of our Lady Immaculate, the next stop on the tour. Winter Fair. Finished in April 2008, Guelph City Hall meets the You may notice the lampposts have a crown motif - a reference As you continue down MacDonell, you can see the transit hub, LEED Silver Standard for energy efficiency. This is thanks to its to the city’s nickname. You will continue straight onto Waterloo Guelph Central Station (11), on your right, which connects inter- many environmental features such as a green roof to prevent heat Ave. On the corner of Waterloo and Dublin Street, you can see the city and inner-city transit routes. When you reach the corner of MacDonell and Woolwich Street, façades of the buildings have been preserved, but the interior of you will see a plaque on the railway bridge abutment (12) that the buildings has been renovated to its current function. commemorates the founding of Guelph by John Galt with the felling of a maple tree. Tradition relates that John Galt laid his hand At the end of Douglas Street you will find yourself in the heart of on a tree stump and predicted that the streets of the new town Guelph - St. Georges Square (18). Reconstructed in 1981, this would radiate from a central point just as his fingers radiated from is known as a ‘people place’, and it hosts many local festivals and his palm. And while the main streets of downtown Guelph do follow events each year. This is the centre of the downtown core, where such a pattern, it is unclear which came first, the legend or the you will find unique independent stores, restaurants committed plan. to sourcing their ingedients locally and the Old Quebec Street Mall. Quebec Street originally extended past Wyndham Street At the corner of Woolwich and MacDonell, you will find yourself at but was closed off in 1980 to build an Eaton Centre. The Eaton’s John Galt Park (13). A prominent feature of the park is a limestone company ended in 1999 at which point the mall was purchased façade which was built using stones from the rubble of the Speed by the city and renamed the Guelph Centre. The Eaton’s store Downtown Skating Rink after it was destroyed by fire in 1991. The pathway was replaced with the Sleeman Centre and in 2003 the remaining along the river is part of the Trans Canada Trail System and is portion became The Old Quebec Street Mall. named the Alf Hales Memorial Trail. We hope you have enjoyed learning some of the history of Guelph. Guelph As you continue down Woowich, you will approach the River If this self-guided tour has only piqued your interest, the Guelph Walking Tour Run Centre (14), which overlooks the picturesque Speed River. Arts Council offers several different guided tours regularly. Please It is built on the location of Guelph’s first building, a log structure check their website guelpharts.ca for a schedule. named The Priory. Built in 1827, it was named after Charles Prior, a man present at the City’s founding. Initially envisioned as the headquarters of John Galt’s Canada Company, it first became John Galt’s residence, then served as the first post office for the city, and also housed a tavern. In 1887, the Priory was converted into a railway station and it served that purpose until 1911. It was demolished in 1926, though a scale model is on permanent display at the Civic Museum. Just beyond the River Run Centre on the left hand side of Woolwich Street, is the Sleeman Centre (15). Built in 2000, this arena is the home to the Guelph Storm hockey team and can seat up to 4,500 people each game. Guelph 1 Carden St Next to the Sleeman Centre are the Wellington County buildings Tourism Guelph, ON (16). The exterior of the Wellington County Court House was built between 1841 and 1843 and is the oldest remaining public building Services N1H 3A1 built of stone in Guelph or Wellington County and one of the oldest stone buildings between Toronto and London. The office addition was added in 1955. To continue, turn left from Woolwich onto Douglas Street. Douglas Street is home to the Gummer and Victoria buildings (17), and many houses built in the 19th century. The Gummer and Victoria buildings were unfortunately destroyed by a fire in 2007. The front .