The Guelph Civic Museum is a museum of culture and natural history located in Guelph, Ontario. It was established to explore the culture and natural history of Guelph through exhibitions and public programs. In 2012, it opened a new location at 52 Norfolk St., after having previously been located in a three-story building at 6 Dublin Street South.The Guelph Civic Museum showcases Guelph’s history through permanent and changing exhibits, a fun and interactive families gallery, and special events and activities. Located in the recently renovated Loretto Convent, atop the hill at Norfolk Street and beside the landmark Church of Our Lady, the museum is home to a collection of over 30,000 artifacts that bring Guelph’s past to life. Many of the items in the museum have been donated by citizens of the city of Guelph.The museum was closed to the public on June 30, 2011 in preparation for a transition to a new building, and reopened at the new location January 2012.History of the museumThe proposal for a memory bank of significant parts of and events in Guelph was first brought about by the Museum Board of Management, which formed in 1964. Collections were already being compiled by Guelph’s Historical Society two years earlier. Guelph had temporary exhibits in several locations before the museum's official opening at the Winter Fair Horse Stables (which is now the Guelph Farmer's Market) in December 1967. A sewing exhibit was set up in the Delhi Street Recreation Centre in 1965 and several others were displayed at the Guelph Public Library in 1967, a year which also saw a “summer museum” located at 98 Wyndam Street. From 1967 onwards, the museum remained in the former stables, but by the 1970s it was becoming crowded and needed more room. The building on 6 Dublin Street was purchased in 1977 and on May 18, 1980 (the date of International Museum Day) it opened its doors as the new Guelph Civic Museum. The issue of space seems to be a never ending one, as the museum is moving to a bigger location once again in the summer of 2011. It will be located in the Loretto Convent which is located beside the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate downtown. Renovations are predicted to be complete by the fall in September 2011.
