Hours: Wednesday to Friday, 10:00am-4:00pm; Saturday, 12:00pm-4:00pm
Location: 51 Stuart Street, Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 1B5
Access: Admission is free. Guided tours for groups can be arranged for a small fee.
Contact: http://wahc-museum.ca/contact-us/
Telephone: 905-522-3003
Website: http://wahc-museum.ca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wahc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkersArtsandHeritageCentre
The Workers Arts and Heritage Centre (WAHC) aims to preserve and honour the historical, cultural, and contemporary experience of all working people in their diverse identities. The WAHC acknowledges and showcases the contributions of working people in Canada and around the world in art, exhibits, and performances.
The building which houses the WAHC is a designated National Historic Site. From 1860 to 1887, the building served as the Hamilton Custom House, handling trade flowing into Upper Canada/Ontario through the Port of Hamilton. The construction of the Custom House reflects Hamilton’s rise as an important railway and Great Lakes port in the mid-nineteenth century. The building is an example of the Italianate style which was popular in Canadian commercial architecture from the 1840s to 1870s.
The WAHC contains four permanent exhibitions:
Nine to Five: A History of Office Work examines office culture, focusing on how technological advancement has affected office work.
Punching the Clock: Working in Canadian Factories from the 1840s to the 1980s is an interactive exhibition which looks at working life in a textile mill, a steel factory, and an auto plant. The exhibition teaches visitors about working conditions in factories and the advancements made by health and safety activists in the workplace.
Made in Hamilton Industrial Trail examines the history of industry in Hamilton in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Custom House History & Hall of Hamilton Labour provides a history of the Custom House from its construction in 1860 to its renovation as the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre in 1995. This exhibition also depicts the pivotal people and events in the history of labour in Hamilton.
The WAHC also contains two galleries which feature art by local and national artists depicting the history and culture of working people, and space for rotating exhibitions.
The WAHC has created Workers’ City, a series of five walking tours exploring the labour and industrial history of Hamilton. Booklets for the walking tours are available, free of charge. An interactive map of the walking tours is available online. Most sites along the tours have “Made in Hamilton Industrial Trail” signs or historical plaques posted indicating the name of the site’s original industry. The Workers’ City website includes histories and images of the various sites as well as recorded interviews with former workers.
Unions can contract the WAHC to write a union history, organize union archives, or manage the production of historical displays for the union. For more information, contact Florencia Berinstein, Executive Director, at 905-522-3003 x23, or contact the WAHC online.