City of Waterloo Museum
Our city museum connects visitors with Waterloo's past, building shared experiences and enhancing culture. Connect with the museum on Facebook or Instagram, or by calling 519-885-8828.
Location, hours and admission
We're located at 550 King Street North, beside the food court at Conestoga Mall.
Current exhibit: Health in Space
Health in Space demystifies the health challenges — such as variable gravity, radiation, and isolation — that astronauts face while living and working in space. Through authentic artifacts and interactive activities, visitors will better understand Canada’s role in advancing health research. Discoveries in this field may even help solve medical challenges here on Earth. The exhibition runs to September 2022.
Show Me The City - A Walk Down King Street
Join us for a stroll down historic King Street. On this self-guided walking tour between William Street and Bridgeport Road you will learn more about some of Waterloo’s past faces, places and spaces that used to call King Street home! Learn more about each location by scanning the QR code on signs along the route.
Outreach, special events and education
If you would like to bring a group into the museum, or have us come to you, we have a number of options as described below.
For more information, contact 519-885-8828 or jennifer.huber@waterloo.ca.
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Guest speaking |
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Museum staff are available as guest speakers. We have a series of illustrated presentations that include 'show and tell' with complementary artifacts from our collection. Titles include:
If you have a suggested topic, we can also do custom presentations. Our contact info is at the top of this page. We charge $50/one hour presentation. |
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Special events |
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March Break activities...coming soon Waterloo’s Rainbow History: 50 Years of Glow - virtual tour Join the City of Waterloo Museum in celebrating Pride Month. View a virtual tour of the University of Waterloo campus as we pay tribute to the origins of the Glow Centre in celebration if its 50th anniversary. From it's 1970 origins as Waterloo Universities' Gay Liberation Movement (WUGLM), through today in its incarnation as the Glow Centre, this important institution is the longest lived student-led 2SLGBTQ+ group on a Canadian university campus. Jim Parrott, curator of the Grand River Rainbow Historical Project and former Executive Director of SPECTRUM, Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space helps us understand the important history of 2SLGBTQ2+ in Waterloo as we visit key sites on the campus.
You can also follow along with the route map (pdf). If you require these documents in an alternate format or have questions about this project, contact the museum at 519-885-8828, TTY (for deaf) 1-866-786-3941 or museum@waterloo.ca. |
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Education |
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The City of Waterloo Museum is pleased to offer many options for school programs. Book an in-class visit for your students where our staff will come to your classroom and share a curriculum based education program. Two hour in-class programs are $130 per class. You may also book a virtual visit where we can join your class through the computer from the Museum. Teachers will need a projector and speakers if students are learning in person. One hour virtual programs are $50 per class.
Presentations are booked on a first come, first served basis. Please check back often as we add more school programs for all grades.
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Collection
Our mandate is to preserve, protect and exhibit our collection of over 10,000 artifacts. It's guided by the Museum Strategy, completed in 2015.
The collection includes the signature Seagram collection related to early manufacturing and the service of distilled spirits. Original prints, paintings, photographs, craft, manufacturing artifacts, books, and pamphlets tell the story of Waterloo's fascinating past.
Donations
Our collection is continually being enhanced through additions from the community. If you are interested in sharing a piece of your Waterloo history, contact museum@waterloo.ca or call 519-885-8828.
All objects proposed for acquisition will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- Condition: the physical condition of artifacts will be considered as well as the extent to which conservation or restoration treatment is required and any costs associated with said treatments. Objects in poor condition will not be accepted unless they are rare or of particular significance to the collections.
- Relevance: Artifacts will be assessed based on how well they ‘fit’ with the museum’s collections both in terms of how well they support the museum’s mission, and how they compare to other artifacts in the collections. Objects will only be acquired if they meet the requirements of the City of Waterloo Museum’s collections mandate.
- Documentation: Consideration will also be given to the provenance of an object, as well as any contextual information or other known details regarding the fabrication and function of the object, as this information is critical to collections management.
If we're unable to accept your donation, we will attempt to refer you to another museum or archive that may be interested in acquiring your object.