Tours + Heritage

Our 2022 tour season has ended. Please refer to our self-guided audio tours below. See you spring 2023!

A National Historic Site, the Exchange District features an exceptional collection of heritage buildings built between 1880 and 1920—all tucked away within a small 20-block area. Nicknamed the “Chicago of the North”, the neighbourhood features massive stone and brick warehouses, elegant terracotta-clad buildings, narrow angled streets as well as cobblestone paths and alleyways. The collective character of these built resources is distinctive and relatively intact. The importance of the area can also be expanded to include the city’s role with respect to grain trade, civic development and labour. The Exchange does a great job of illustrating the city’s key role as a centre of grain and wholesale trade, finance and manufacturing in two historically important periods in western development.